Scarlet Heart
by McSquidster
Summary: During a total solar eclipse, a 22-year-old 21st-century woman, Lucy, is transported back in time to the Ishgar Dynasty. She wakes up in the year 941, and there, she encounters the many royal princes of the ruling family. Meanwhile, rivalry and politics ensue among the princes in a fight for the throne, and Lucy finds herself unwittingly caught between it all. A ScarletHeartRyeo!AU
1. Chapter 1: The Eclipse

**A ScarletHeartRyeo!AU**

* * *

Lucy thought that visiting the lake would make her feel better. The sound of the falls hitting the water after sliding over the canyon's edge had always been soothing. But seeing everyone else happily picnicking and playing in the water only made her feel bitter, and her split lip stung like hell. So she brought her bottle of soju to her lips once again and took a swig. The drink didn't feel pleasant going down, but she hoped it would help take her mind off of things.

Despite having found a small nook in the gray canyon walls to tuck herself into, she still felt eyes trained on her.

She looked over to see a man sitting on the steps just a few feet away, most likely well into his forties and clearly homeless. His black clothes were torn in various places, and his reddish-brown hair fell to his shoulders. The expression on his stubbly face showed yearning. His eyes were locked on the drink in her hand, so she held it out to him.

He didn't hesitate to grab the bottle and settle closer to her before chugging nearly half of its contents. To Lucy, it appeared that the soju didn't go down pleasantly for him either.

"Mister," Lucy started nervously, hugging her knees tighter into her chest. This man was a complete stranger, but she desperately needed someone, _anyone_ to listen to her. So she began to pour out her heart, "Have…have you ever wanted to fall asleep for a thousand years? Everything keeps going wrong and you don't see any hope of life getting better. And you tell yourself 'I'm sure things will look up' but then another thing goes wrong." She let out a soft, bitter laugh before continuing, "So you would rather just fall asleep and never wake up again."

In the silence that followed her statement, the man took another drink.

"I want to forget everything, but it's not working," tears began gathering in her eyes. "That bastard who left me with a pile of debt, and that bitch that betrayed me and ran off with him. God," she sniffled out as she wiped a tear that had slipped free, "I never should have trusted anyone."

She paused as more tears fell before shakily continuing, "Mister, I thought that if I didn't change, the people I trusted and loved wouldn't change either. I was wrong though," a single sob escaped. "How did my life end up this way?" she lowered her head to cry into her folded arms.

She could vaguely hear the man screwing the lid on the bottle, and it surprised her when he finally spoke, "Your life can't change just because you want it to. Maybe if you died and came back again it would."

"What?" she brought her gaze up to meet his, but he was focused on pulling his bag closer to him. Once he had put the now empty bottle inside, he reached over to grab his bundle of extra clothes and laid down to rest his head upon it. His deep sigh let Lucy know that he wasn't going to respond.

So she focused on getting her crying under control and did her best to ease the tightening in her chest by lightly pounding on it with her fist.

After she had calmed down a bit, she noticed a small girl dangling her foot over the edge of the dock, trying to touch the water. Lucy smiled to herself. She had often done the same thing when she was younger. She and her mother once visited the lake together weekly, and it was a place that held many of her childhood memories.

Her reminiscing was interrupted by a loud splash. When she looked back up the girl was no longer there and the water beneath the dock was unsettled. It wasn't long before the girl resurfaced, struggling to remain above water without her life jacket.

Lucy was immediately on her feet, quickly rushing down the dock before jumping into the water to save the girl without hesitation. Her much larger splash alerted several other surrounding lake-goers of the situation, and by the time she had resurfaced and swam the short distance to the girl, a man with black hair was hurriedly untying his small boat from the dock. Lucy helped the young girl stay afloat as he rowed towards them.

"Asuka!" the man called as he reached to pull the young girl into the boat.

"Daddy," she responded, sounding frightened. As Lucy helped pushed the girl up from the water, she noticed a slight shadow fall across the lake. _'An eclipse?!'_ she thought as she looked skyward.

Just as the man was reaching out to help her into the boat, she felt her body cease and she slipped back underwater.

' _Why can't I move?!_ ' Lucy thought. She couldn't even close her mouth as she watched the air escape her in the form of bubbles that floated their way to the surface. Something unseen seemed to have taken hold of her body, dragging her downwards.

As she faded into unconsciousness, the homeless man's words from earlier resurfaced in her mind.

 _"Your life can't change just because you want it to. Maybe if you died and came back again it would."_

* * *

 _Over a thousand years earlier…_

The light of the sun showered the land once again. The eclipse had ended, and the group of men could now easily steer their horses towards the Damiwon Palace.

A man wearing all black led the small party. He set a fast pace, paying no mind to the light snow that fell. His hood was pulled up to conceal his hair, and a ceramic, obsidian mask covered the majority of the left side of his tanned face, stretching from beneath his cheekbone up to his hairline.

It didn't take long for the company to arrive at the small marketplace just outside the palace. When the villagers saw the man at the head of the group, there was immediate unrest.

"It's END!" one villager fearfully cried.

In response to the shout, the villagers dove behind the stalls lining the street, knocking their goods from their places and scattering them across his path.

Although he slowed his pace, the man remained steadfast in steering his ebony horse towards the palace, uncaring of the many eyes that watched him in terror.

He only stopped once during his advance. He wordlessly dismounted and plucked a single hairpin from a nearby table before continuing on his way.

* * *

"Hurry, let's go!"

"Alright, I'm coming!"

Gray was relentless as he dragged his youngest brother to the steps descending into the spring. He didn't hesitate to jump into the shallow water once they got there, and he dramatically resurfaced with a content sigh, his arms extended out to the sides. He was the tenth of fourteen princes, the fourteenth being Loke.

And the orange haired boy certainly lived up to the reputation he had created for himself as the youngest. He theatrically stripped the robe covering his bare torso, briefly flexing and roaring like a lion before throwing himself into the water alongside his brother. The two laughed boisterously as they splashed and swam circles around each other.

Jellal, the thirteenth prince, watched them with amusement as he strolled down the boardwalk along the edge of the secluded spring. He arrived at the part of the pool that lay inside the Damiwon Palace just as Sting, the eighth prince, was descending the stairs from the balcony of the wooden structure. Gajeel, the ninth prince was there too, doing tricep pushups on the edge of the spring.

"Brother," he strained out as Jellal entered the building, "feel this." He twisted his arm to flex the muscle he had previously been working out. "Do you see this definition here?" He was speaking to the third prince, Laxus, who sat in a chair just a few feet away from the edge of the spring, his untied robe resting on his shoulders. He only smirked at his younger brother's antics.

"Loke, I'll be going now!" Gray shouted as he moved to join his brothers in the indoor spring.

"Gray," the orange haired prince called after him, "wait for me! Gray!"

As soon as the two young princes had scurried inside the Damiwon, they both settled back into the steaming water, letting out satisfied sighs. However, they were quickly back to their playing, plucking rose petals from the spring and blowing them at each other.

The peaceful atmosphere vanished when a court lady missed the teacup in Laxus' hand, accidentally spilling the liquid across the backs of his fingers. The third prince's expression immediately soured, and he moved to slap the servant.

"Brother," Sting spoke, purposefully stopping him from completing the action, "is our fourth brother not here yet? He should come to bathe if he is to attend the spiritual ritual."

With Laxus' attention successfully shifted elsewhere, Gajeel shooed the court ladies away.

"Has he ever done things our way?" Laxus responded as he angrily poured his own tea. "Don't bother with him, he's too much of a pain."

"Don't you know how Sting is?" Gajeel accused. "He's always worried about others."

Sting slipped into the water before remarking, "Natsu is the only prince born in the same year as me. I should at least try to take care of him."

"This is the first time our fourth brother will be attending the ritual, right?" Jellal asked as he attempted to balance himself on the edge of the spring. "I wonder if His Majesty has a specific reason for asking him to come this time." He paused to strip himself of his robe before making his way over to a pair of court ladies waiting at the entrance of the bath. He laid his discarded clothing in their hands and grinned, "Use steam and make sure to get all of the wrinkles out."

The pair giggled softly as they bowed and exited the room.

"Jellal," Gray's tone was flippant as he made his way over to the thirteenth prince after he had entered the pool.

Having lost his playmate, Loke began doing pushups on the edge of the spring.

"Did you hear that our fourth brother massacred his family out in Shirotsume?" the tenth prince continued. "They say it was very brutal, like a wolf killing people." Following his statement, Gray jokingly howled.

"You can't believe all the rumors like that," the thirteenth prince reprimanded, reaching out to lightly yank on the small towel tied around his brother's head. "Not even the criminals in our nation speak of such things."

"But all of our visitors from Shirotsume say so," Gray playfully refuted. "It must be true."

"It's merely a rumor," Loke pompously began. "How could he take down a local government on his own? And what about the local army? Only top notch martial arts would suffice, and Natsu never had a teacher train him to fight."

During the fourteenth prince's speech, Gray had moved to lean against the edge next to him. "Loke," he said animatedly, "you and Natsu have the same mother…you never know when you'll turn into a wolf, too!" Gray let out another high pitched howl and moved to pounce on Loke with his fingers curled.

In response, Loke let out a much deeper howl and threw himself towards his older brother.

They were startled by Laxus slamming his teacup onto the table beside him, "Shut your mouths!" The boys froze, still holding onto one another. "I am also born from the same womb as our fourth brother. Does that mean that I am inhuman as well?" He fixed Gray with a glare.

"His jokes were too harsh," Sting interrupted, fulfilling his role as the peacemaker among the princes, "I will speak to him later. Please don't take it to heart."

As he spoke, Gray and Loke pulled away from each other, the raven haired prince submerging himself in water up to his mouth and blowing bubbles irritably.

"The fourth prince will be returning to Shirotsume once the ritual is over," Laxus stated. "If the king hears of any nonsense, I will not stand idly by. Do you understand?" His gazed rested on Gray and Loke.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Brothers," Gray began, eager to change the subject and clearly immune to the tense atmosphere, "do you want to make a bet on who can float the longest? Let's go to the outer pool!" True to his words the tenth prince pulled himself out of the water and started towards the outer part of the spring.

"Gray, that's enough," Sting said.

The boy didn't stop.

"I said that's enough," he called after Gray as he jumped into the pool.

"If you give me just one chance, I can get him to be quiet," Loke stated, determined.

"It's fine," Sting shut him down. "Although our tenth brother is childish, he is still older than you, and you must show him the proper respect."

Loke's face turned sour.

"Brothers!" Gray called happily. "Come quickly!"

The other princes only sighed and ignored their brother so they could continue bathing.

"Loke! Come on!" He floated on back and raised his foot above the water to beckon him.

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how long she had been under, but when she resurfaced she was desperately gasping for air. She figured that she must have drifted closer to shore while submerged. She was able to stand now and the water, which was much warmer than she remembered it being moments ago, only came up to her mid thighs.

Once she had wiped her eyes clear, she took in her surroundings, her brows furrowing at the sight that greeted her.

' _What...what is this place?'_ she confusedly thought. The steam that was rising from the water to tangle with leaves hanging over the rocks that were piled along the edges of the pool made it obvious that she was no longer at the lake. No such sight existed anywhere close to where she had been.

' _I must be alive,'_ she brought a hand to her chest. She had been certain that she was going to drown, ' _What a relief."_

She was pulled out of her thoughts when something bumped into the back of her leg. Twisting her upper body to look behind her, she made eye contact with a raven haired boy that looked just as confused as she felt.

He let out a shocked scream, which triggered her own, as he floundered in the shallow water, struggling to move away from her.

* * *

"Hey! You….you…" the princes shifted their gazes to the outdoor pool, startled by Gray's sudden shouting.

What they saw left them speechless. None of them could fathom how a girl had found her way into the royal springs. Given her expression and startled scream, she didn't seem to know how she had accomplished such a feat either.

"What are you doing here?!" Gray pointed an accusing finger at the girl while he still lay submerged in the pool. "How did a girl…" he finally brought himself to standing, but continued to struggle with moving through the water. "Brothers! Brothers!" he called as he stumbled towards them.

Loke joined in his cries as well, disbelievingly pointing a finger at the intruder, "It's a girl!"

By the time the raven haired prince had joined the other princes, the girl had begun making her way to the opposite edge of the pool.

"Hey! Stop right there! Stop!" Gray jumped back into the spring to go after her, but his efforts were futile, as only found himself struggling to move forward once again.

The other princes were still too shocked to join him in his fruitless pursuit.

"You dare spy on the princes!" His floundering drained the enthusiasm of his declaration.

As the girl made her way over the rocks and disappeared into the bushes, Sting was finally able to recover from his shock.

"Lucy?"

* * *

Lucy had never been more confused. A few moments ago she had resurfaced only to find herself in a completely different place and face to face with six very shirtless men. She had been intimidated, and following the blue haired girl calling to her from the bushes had seemed like a good idea. Now she was being pulled through a series of caves, following the small girl who all the while was muttering things like, "What are we going to do now?" "You're going to be in so much trouble, my lady," and "Hurry, we need to go!"

In addition to her incredible confusion, Lucy had a pounding headache. It had been assaulting her senses since she had regained consciousness only moments ago.

They finally exited the caves, and the girl continued to drag the stumbling Lucy behind her.

' _When did I put on this hanbok?'_ her confusion only grew. The soaking material clung to her ankles, constantly getting caught on the rocky ground beneath them and making it harder to walk.

"You didn't come out for so long," the girl started muttering again, "I knew something was wrong. The princes had started bathing, so I couldn't even go looking for you. This is insane! Hurry up. Let's go!" The girl seemed to finally notice Lucy's stumbling. She turned to face her, her eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Are you okay, my lady?"

' _My lady? Princes?'_ Lucy did her best to push through the pain in her head and focus on the girl's face. "I…do you know me?" she rasped out.

"What?" the girl almost sounded hurt.

"This isn't the park. What is this place?"

"My…my lady!" the girl pleaded. "What do you mean you don't know where this is? This is the largest washing area in all of Magnolia!"

The girl stepped aside, allowing Lucy to see the multitude of people washing their clothing and themselves in various steaming pools across the rocky landscape. Mountains filled with trees surrounded the valley on all sides. The landscape was beautiful to look at, but it was one that Lucy was completely unfamiliar with.

Her breathing quickened. _'What the hell is this? I must really be dead. So this place…is the afterlife?'_

She was unconscious before she was able to feel the impact of her head hitting the ground.

* * *

 **AN**

 **As I said before this is a ScarletHeartRyeo!AU. If you're interested in seeing what the original series looks like, I suggest you check out Old Pepper Pot's fanmade trailer for the series on Youtube. It may help you get a better feel for the setting and it will give you a sneak peak of whats to come! Of course there's the official trailers, but they're all just thirty seconds long and there is a seven minute highlight reel...but I recommend that you check out the fanmade trailer, in my opinion it does a better job at conveying the atmosphere of the show :)**

 **Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a South Korean historical drama set in the Goryeo Empire (Korea's namesake) during the 900's, so for those of you who are unfamiliar with Korea's history, here's a quick clarification. The King had many wives, which is why there are so many princes around the same age. The only princes in this story that share a mother are Laxus, Natsu, and Loke. Only eight of the fourteen princes will be making an appearance, the other princes either didn't survive into their adulthood or live away from the palace. There are also several princesses but all but one has been married off at this point. You'll find out who the princess is in later chapters!**

 **Another important note: Age is very important in South Korean society, and it has been for centuries. You are expected to show respect to those that are older than you and you hold authority over those that are younger than you, but you are also expected to take care of your juniors. This is very important when trying to understand the dynamics of the relationships between the princes. I'll add a quick guide below with the princes' numbers and the ages I'm imagining for them:**

 **1st Prince (Crown Prince)- to be revealed soon, 30**

 **3rd Prince- Laxus, 24**

 **4th Prince- Natsu, 23**

 **8th Prince- Sting, 23**

 **9th Prince- Gajeel, 22**

 **10th Prince- Gray, 20**

 **13th Prince- Jellal, 20**

 **14th Prince- Loke, 20**

 **Also, Lucy is 22**

 **I know a lot of their ages are pretty different from Fairy Tail (especially Jellal), but like I said earlier, their ages will play a huge part in the dynamics of their relationships with each other.**

 **I'll be adding clarifications in the AN beneath the chapters as I see fit, and if there's anything else you guys feel like I should clarify then just let me know!**

 **Although some of the characters may seem OOC now, I promise why I put each character where I did will make more sense later. This chapter covered only the first ten minutes of the first episode, and there are twenty episodes, each being an hour in length, so we've got a ways to go.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Ishgar

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo.**

* * *

"Open the gates!"

The company of horsemen had finally arrived at the palace. The man at the head of the group removed his hood, revealing vibrant salmon hair that fell past his shoulders.

"I will leave a servant with you, Your Highness," the muscled man on the horse next to him spoke, a snide grin on his face. "Once the ritual has ended, do not delay and return to Shirotsume. Don't forget that you're an adopted member of the Strauss household. Please uphold our family's name in the King's presence."

The prince let out a bitter laugh, "An adopted member?" He looked over to the man before continuing, "And here I thought I was your hostage this entire time." With that, he kicked his horse, prompting it to move inside the now open gates and leave the rest of the group behind.

Once he was beyond the gates, the guards returned them to their closed position with a resounding thud.

Before anyone could greet him, the prince quickly dismounted, unsheathed his sword, and slaughtered his horse. The guards that waited for him were in shock, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You…you cannot use your sword inside the palace, Your Highness" one hesitantly protested.

The salmon haired man only threw his bloody sword at the guard, which he clumsily caught, before stalking away.

The same guard that had nervously spoken before stumbled after him a few steps, "Shall I prepare a horse for your return?"

"I won't be going back," the prince quickly swiped the blood from his cheek before sauntering up the steps leading to the palace's courtyard.

* * *

For the second time that day Lucy found herself waking up to an unfamiliar sight. Although this time, she was laying on a soft surface and felt bandages wrapped around her aching head.

As she pushed herself up to a sitting position, she heard a hacking cough. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, finally landing on a silver haired figure seated at a table a few feet away. The blue haired girl from before sat across from the woman, her hands diligently working to grind something in a small bowl.

Lucy winced as she tried to stand. Her head still hurt, though not nearly as much as before.

"Lucy!" the silver haired woman joyfully cried. She leaned heavily on the blue haired servant as they made their way to the bed where Lucy was seated, "You're finally awake!"

Now that she was closer, Lucy took in the woman's appearance. She was wearing a lightly ornamented traditional hanbok, something that the people of Fiore only wore during festivals. Several decorative pins held her silver hair in an extravagant twist atop her head.

"Is the pain still bothering you?" the woman inquired.

"How...how did I get hurt?"

"Don't even bring it up, my lady!" the blue haired girl started. "You fell so hard I thought your head would burst! Do you know how worried Lady Yukino was?"

There was a small silence before the silver haired woman, Lucy guessed that she was the Yukino the servant had mentioned, spoke again. "Lucy-"

"Wait," the blonde interrupted, still confused, "why do you keep calling me 'my lady'? I don't understand why I'm being called as such."

"W-what?" Yukino tentatively asked, her expression beginning to fill with concern.

"Ah, right," Lucy suddenly recalled the memory of drowning, "I died."

"You didn't die, my lady. You could have though, considering how hard you hit your head."

"I'm not dead?" she started to panic. She was fully awake now, and realizing that if she wasn't dead, she truly had no idea where she was. She stared at the two women before her a little longer before rushing out of the room. The outside of the building she had been in looked like it belonged in one of the traditional villages she had visited in Clover Town. It was brightly colored with various reds, greens, and golds swirling across the wood. She stopped running once she had descended the steps of the porch, realizing that she had absolutely no clue as to where she was going. The people outside bowed to her as they passed, each carrying out various chores in front of the house.

She grabbed her head and closed her eyes, trying to force herself to wake up.

' _This has to be a dream!'_ she opened her eyes to find that nothing had changed. ' _If I'm not dead, and this isn't a dream…then where the hell am I?'_

"Lucy!" she turned to find Yukino and the servant rushing out of the house after her. "Lucy!"

The blonde couldn't bring herself to respond. She could barely breathe.

"Fetch the doctor now!" she heard Yukino order.

"Yes, my lady."

Lucy grabbed one of the silver haired woman's hands. "What is this place? Who...who are you?"

"Are you unable to remember anything?" there was fear in the woman's eyes. "I am you cousin once removed, Yukino," she clasped Lucy's hands tightly in her own. "Look at me closely, and try to remember. You are in Magnolia right now. This is the home of the Eighth Prince Sting, my husband."

"M-Magnolia?" Lucy said slowly as her brain processed the information. Magnolia was the name of an ancient capital city. "Then, this is Ishgar?" she shakily asked, fearful of the answer she would receive. "Ishgar, Seven, and Bosco…that Ishgar?!"

Yukino smiled softly, slight relief beginning to show in her features, "Do you remember now? Yes, it is that Ishgar."

Lucy tore her hands away with a gasp. _'There's no way. Ishgar was the name of this country before it was called Fiore, and it hasn't been referred to as such for centuries.''_

"Then, at present…" she shakily began, "who is the king?"

"It is His Majesty who founded this nation, of course."

' _His Majesty who founded Ishgar…It can't be…'_ Lucy did her best to remember the information from her high school history course. "King Igneel?!"

* * *

The King stayed seated in his throne as he tossed the cage containing the dead bird to the open floor before him. His sons and advisors, who stood in two lines along the sides of the throne room, stared at it with wide eyes as it rolled to a stop.

"This is the bird that attempted to eat the Crown Prince's breakfast today," the palace astronomer, Gildarts, stated from his place beside the throne. "It was killed before it could swallow its first bite. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the bird had poison lining its beak. It was fortunate that the Crown Prince skipped his meal because he wasn't hungry."

The King surveyed the people in the room, "Why is there no response? Catch the person who tried to kill the Crown Prince immediately."

"We should figure out why it happened," one advisor stated. "What would change just because we caught the culprit?"

"Minister Jiemma of Crocus," King Igneel addressed, "what are you trying to say?"

"Is the Crown Prince acting like a Crown Prince should? At the last assembly, he only received greetings from the foreign envoys before leaving. He is always either on the battle field or visiting all known hot springs. And are you aware of the rumor that the Crown Prince has an incurable illness?"

The King's eyes dropped to his lap at the question.

"Therefore I, Jiemma of Crocus, am making a request of you. Please depose ofthe First Prince Zeref as Crown Prince. I entreat you to name a new one."

The King's expression filled with anger, "Do you all agree with him? Speak up." His fury only grew at the silence that followed his inquiry. "Who among you would suit the position, if not the current Crown Prince?!"

Sting stepped out of line, moving to kneel before the King. "Please withdraw those words, Your Majesty. There is none among the princes who wishes to become Crown Prince."

Jellal kneeled next to him, "That is true, Your Majesty. Please withdraw your words."

Laxus followed suit, though with a bit of hesitation, "Yes, please withdraw them."

Gajeel, Loke, and Gray moved to join their brothers, not wanting to look like they thought otherwise. Once all of the princes were kneeling before the King, they chorused, "Please withdraw your words, Your Majesty," and bowed their heads.

"Astronomer Gildarts," King Igneel sighed.

The man bowed to the King before he turned to address those gathered in the throne room. "I, loyal subject Gildarts will relay the will of the heavens to all of you here." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Crown Prince Zeref's star is the star of a king. It is the first star of the five northern stars and it shines brighter every day. This demonstrates that he is not lacking in his position as the Crown Prince." Gildarts looked pointedly at Jiemma near the end of his statement.

"It has been twenty-four years since this land has been founded," Igneel announced. "First Prince Zeref has fought beside me in many wars. He helped to lay the very foundations of Ishgar!" He glanced around the room once more, "Gildarts, during the exorcism ritual, Zeref will be the one to act as the prince to chase away the evil spirits. Put all of your effort into preparing the princes for it!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

"That is true," Queen Grandeeny moved to pour more tea for Jiemma, who sat across from her. "The Crown Prince is surprisingly lucky. He has had a long life. We may have only made him more aware and vigilant."

"It is Court Lady Virgo," a monotone voice called from the door as said woman entered the room. She moved to whisper into the Queen's ear, her face holding no emotion.

Grandeeny's expression momentarily shifted to show surprise, at the words the court lady told her, "Tell him that I do not wish to see anyone."

"It has been two years since the Fourth Prince has made an appearance at the palace," Virgo lightly protested. "If you could just meet him-"

The Queen stopped her refute by slamming the tea kettle on the table. "I am not well right now," she lied angrily. "Who would dare to disturb an ill queen?!"

* * *

The Fourth Prince waited anxiously in front of the steps to his mother's room. As the pink haired court lady returned and bowed to him he inquired, "What did she say?"

"Queen Grandeeny has fallen asleep," the woman said, obviously feeding him false information. "She is very ill. Perhaps you should come back another time."

Natsu let out a bitter laugh as he left. He should never have expected more of his mother.

* * *

Lucy leaned back against the edge of the bed she had awoken in earlier and wrapped her arms tighter around her knees.

How had this happened? She had been drowning. She had been sure that she was going to die. And she had accepted it. But then she woke up to find herself a thousand years in the past.

She looked into the mirror to her right. While her face was still her own, her hair was much longer than it had been before, falling to brush against her lower back.

Over past few hours, Lucy had deduced that she had been put into someone else's body. Someone from over a thousand years before her time. Although it was so similar to her own, her body felt foreign and strange when she moved about.

' _This girl must have drowned in the water, too. I'm not her, I'm not the Lucy that they all think I am,'_ she curled further into herself.

 _'Try to be positive! You have another chance at life here!'_ she told herself as she lightly hit her chest to ease the tightness that began building in it. ' _Don't get caught, and just try to get through this. If you can endure this…if you can endure this…'_

Her thoughts were brought to a halt when someone pounded on her door.

"My Lady!"

"Lucy!"

It was the two women from before, she realized.

"Please, come out and talk."

"My lady, please open the door!"

 _'What kind of world is it out there?'_ Lucy wondered in fear as she stared at the silhouettes on the paper of the door. ' _I'm scared. I'm scared to death. I barely know a thing about Ishgar. King Igneel was the founder. And after him the king was…Gwangjong?'_

* * *

"Lucy! Please open the-" Yukino's pleading ceased as she was assaulted by another brutal coughing attack.

"My Lady!" she heard Sting cry as he ran to her and rested his hands on her arm and back. Her husband must have just arrived.

"What's going on?" he asked Levy worriedly.

"It's Lady Lucy!" the servant girl readily replied.

"Lucy?" he thought back to earlier, when he had seen the girl in the springs where he and his brothers bathed.

"She had gone to bathe," Yukino gasped out in between coughs, "and didn't come out for two hours. According to the doctor…she stopped breathing."

"Then…are you saying that Lucy died?" Sting asked in disbelief.

"She died and came back!" Levy exclaimed. "Perhaps that's why she lost her memory and doesn't even remember Lady Yukino."

Sting glanced at the door that led to Lucy's room.

"I'm worried that she may harbor dangerous thoughts with the way she is acting," his wife sorrowfully stated.

"Stay out here, I'll talk to her."

* * *

Lucy raised her head from her folded arms as the door to her room was suddenly kicked in. A man with platinum blonde hair gathered in a small bun atop his head stood in the newly made opening. His eyes scanned the room before they landed on her, and he shortened the distance between them slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal.

Lucy felt tears start to gather in her eyes as he stared at her in silence.

He suddenly reached his hand out to her, quickly withdrawing it when he saw her flinch. He took a moment to compose himself before he spoke, "Lucy, don't be afraid. I'm the one who brought you into this household. Thus…I will help you until the very end."

She glanced up at him, a single tear carving a path down her cheek.

"Avoiding this circumstance won't change anything," he gently continued. The corners of his lips quirked upwards in a soft smile, "You must be strong to overcome it." He tentatively reached his hand out to her again, "Won't you trust me, and come outside?"

 _'I have no way to go back to my own time,'_ Lucy thought as she stared at the man's hand. ' _And if I can't change the way things are now…I want to continue to live! I want to do everything I can to survive!'_

She lightly set her hand in his, the man's gripping tightening around her fingers as he smiled down at her.

* * *

 **AN**

 **I love the scene where Haesoo (Lucy's character) officially meets the eighth prince and was dying to write it! The scene includes one of my favorite OSTs from the show, 'Pastoral Morning'. If you're into OSTs I recommend that you look it up :)**

 **A few bits of clarification:**

 **-One thing I forgot to mention in the last AN: Laxus, Sting, and Gray won't have the scars on their faces in this fic, otherwise they'd be in the same place as Natsu. Though I won't say that they won't get them later ;)**

 **-Igneel is 65**

 **-The 'ritual' that everyone keeps mentioning was an annual practice in the Goryeo Empire. The ritual was believed to drive out evil spirits.**

 **-I gave the empire the name Ishgar because that was kind of the name of Fiore before it became Fiore, much like Goryeo was Korea's predecessor. So in this fic Lucy is from Fiore, but finds herself a thousand years in her country's past, when it was known as Ishgar.**

 **-Goryeo was formed when the nations of Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo (Goryeo's namesake) unified, so in this story I replaced them with Bosco and Seven. That is how Lucy clarifies that yes indeed, Yukino is talking about the Ishgar from a thousand years ago.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Behind the Mask

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"What do you mean 'another wife'?!" his mother's angry shout startled him, prompting the four year old Natsu to tighten his grip on his older brother's sleeve. "Your Majesty!"_

 _"Move," the King determinedly pushed the doors open and strode into the hallway where the boys were standing, Queen Grandeeny quickly scurrying out after him._

 _Zeref and Natsu hurriedly moved out of their way, retreating to stand against one of the walls._

 _"Your Majesty," the woman pleaded, "Rogue has died. Our first born son is dead! How can you marry at a time like this?"_

 _Her question successfully brought Igneel to a stop, the beads of his ceremonial crown clinking together._ _"Southern Ishgar is in danger," the king solemnly answered, doing everything he could to avoid looking at his wife. "This marriage is the key to keeping it safe."_

 _"Before you are a ruler," Grandeeny choked out, "you are the father of my children. Are you not sad? Does your heart not feel torn?!" her voice rose in volume with her grief. "Do you not wish that you could die to bring back your child?!"_

 _With a deep sigh, Igneel finally turned to his wife, "There are lives at stake." With that statement, he continued down the hall._

 _"Your Majesty!"_

 _The call had him slowing to a stop once again._

 _Grandeeny made her way over to the princes, pulling her son out of the tight grasp that Zeref had on his shoulders. She brought the small boy next to her, gripping his hand in hers as she kneeled before the King._

 _"If that is all you care about," she shakily began, "why should we bother living anymore?"_

 _"Mommy?" Natsu's small voice sounded out, clearly confused and afraid._

 _Grandeeny didn't take her eyes off the King as she pulled the small boy into her chest and held a knife to his throat, "Do you choose to marry, or do you choose your son?"_

 _"My Queen!" Igneel exclaimed, clearly taken aback by her actions._

 _"Choose," she ground out. "Is it Ishgar or your son's life?"_

 _Tears began streaming down the young prince's face._

 _"Let go of Natsu," the King urged. "You cannot stop my marriage by doing this."_

 _Grandeeny let out a series of bitter laughs. "You really are something. If I do not have your whole heart, I do not need any of it." With that, she pulled her arm up, preparing to stab her son in the chest._

 _Igneel quickly dove forward and grabbed the limb, but it did not stop the blade from swiping across the boy's face, leaving two deep cuts across the young prince's left eye. He immediately started screaming horribly, his mother throwing him aside and into his half-brother's arms._

 _"Natsu!" Zeref cried worriedly. He pulled the prince's face closer to his own, realizing with relief that the blade hadn't cut through his eyelid and therefore no damage was done to his eye itself. But still, blood streamed from the wounds, smearing all across his face. "Somebody help him!"_

Natsu's hand had unconsciously come to rest on the mask over the left side of his face sometime during his recalling of the past. He pulled his focus back to the present as he sensed Igneel coming to a stop a few feet behind him, Gildarts and an advisor at the King's sides.

"Have you brought me here to be one of the Crown Prince's men?" the fourth prince asked with his back still turned to the king.

"I don't know if you will be a shield for the Crown Prince," Igneel started, "or a sword out to kill him."

* * *

The servants of the Eighth Prince's residence had risen early to start the day's tasks. Some swept the house's porch with brooms made of straw and others carried woven baskets filled with produce or piles of cloth to various places across the estate.

Lucy gazed at them in wonder as she passed. Levy had taken it upon herself to familiarize the blonde with Sting's household after her apparent memory loss, and seeing the daily life of the people in this time was unlike anything she had experienced thus far.

"You always like playing arrows," the servant giggled happily as they strolled, "so you would make bets with the servants and compete against them."

Lucy took note of the information. If she was remain here, she had to fit in.

"And see that tree sapling over there?" the blue haired girl pointed to it, her expression proud. "We planted it together."

"I see," Lucy nodded softly.

"Oh, and you're really good at playing footbag!"

 _'What the hell is footbag?'_ the blonde thought. "Okay, so I liked throwing arrows and playing footbag," Lucy started. "I'm here to nurse and keep Lady Yukino company."

"That's right!"

"My cousin and I are from the Heartfilia family, but we moved here when she married Prince Sting, King Igneel's eighth son. And you're my servant, Levy. Right?" Lucy thoughtfully hummed to add to her act, "I think I'm starting to remember now."

"Really?" the servant asked excitedly.

"Yep," Lucy grinned at her. "You don't have to worry about me Levy, I have a brain like a sponge. Teach me one thing and I learn ten other things." She held up a triumphant fist, "I'll keep trying."

The girls continued to stroll in silence for a moment before Levy rested a hand on Lucy's forearm, "Is it really true that you don't remember anything?" The servant glanced around to make sure they were alone before leaning close as she smirked, "It's just the two of us. You can tell me. You're lying, right?"

"What?"

The servant laughed lightly, "The Prince Sting and Lady Yukino may not be able to tell, but I've been by your side every day. I can read you like a book. So what is this really about?" She folded her arms and fixed Lucy with a playful glare, "Did you have a rendezvous with a gentleman from another household?"

Lucy was taken aback and could only blink at the girl. "Is this Lucy that kind of person? So…she pretends to be innocent, but then…she goes out to meet men at night?"

"Nah. She's not that bad." Levy seemed to realize something, "But why are you speaking like you're talking about another person?" She looked to Lucy worriedly, "Oh! You must really be injured!"

' _I should keep my mouth shut. They'll think I'm crazy if I say I'm not their Lucy.'_

"Levy."

"Yes?"

Lucy numbly grabbed her servant's hand and placed it over her heart, "There is another girl inside of me."

Levy's brows furrowed in confusion.

' _Nevermind. No need to die twice.'_

"I was just joking," she grinned at the girl before sighing and turning away.

* * *

"Wow! Look at this!"

Gildarts was in the process of carving and adjusting a new wooden telescope on his balcony when he heard the tenth prince's exclamation.

He glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of Gray and Loke as they stared in wonder at the model aircraft hanging from the ceiling of his study. The rest of the princes gathered around the table under the contraption, Jellal leisurely drawing the model in his sketchbook.

"Gildarts! Gildarts!" Gray called.

"Tenth Prince!" the astronomer responded happily, flying into the room with his arms extended to the sides. "This is a plane," he answered the unspoken question.

"Plane?" the raven haired boy tried the word out on his tongue. "What is that?"

"It's a tool used to fly in the sky like a bird," Gildarts enthusiastically explained. "Someday, your children will have children. Those children will then have their own children," he grabbed the prince's shoulders. "In the future, people will use this to travel to foreign lands!"

"Wow!" Gray excitedly clapped his hands. "Gildarts is always making amazing things."

"You're always staring up at the sky," Laxus interrupted from his seat at the head of the table, looking annoyed. "And you're saying strange things more often. What you said about the star of the Crown Prince earlier in the throneroom…is it true?"

"Eh?" the astronomer's grin faded.

"That's what I wanted to ask," Gajeel started accusingly. "The person who knows the will of the heavens is a subject of the Crown Prince. Everyone in Ishgar knows that. So did you lie just to save face before the King?"

"Oh, come on. I read the heavens for a living. Do you really think that I would lie?"

"Then, Gildarts," Jellal started as he abandoned his sketchbook on the table. "What is my fortune? If you get mine right, I'll assume that you were correct earlier."

The princes all stared at the astronomer expectantly, pressuring him to give in to the demand.

"The day of the Thirteenth Prince's birth was when Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were all in alignment, right? You have quite the luck with females," Gildarts stated matter-of-factly.

The brothers all burst into laughter.

"Even I can guess that," Gray pouted, disappointed that Gildarts had stated something so obvious. "Who doesn't know that girls all over Magnolia fall over themselves for Jellal?"

"If that's all fortune telling entails, then I'll give it a go," Loke stood from his seat proudly, slowly circling around the room and speaking on each of his brothers as he passed, "Laxus has great fortune in governing. Gajeel has luck in wealth."

The aforementioned man nodded in approval.

"Sting has blessings in high intelligence. Jellal has talent in music and the arts. And Gray has…well...our tenth brother doesn't really-" He was interrupted when Gray whapped him on the head with a nearby stick. "Hey!"

"I feel a little hurt," Gildarts jokingly sighed. "You always enjoyed my stories before. Now you don't believe me?"

As he spoke, Gray grabbed Loke by the front of his navy hanbok and began dragging him around the table. The two bickered and bumped chests as the conversation continued.

"That was when we were younger," Jellal grinned. "We're all grown up now. We won't be fooled by you any longer."

Gildarts chuckled, "Yes, you are all adults now. I won't be able to persuade you with my words alone."

At his statement, the two bickering princes stilled.

"Did you hear that Gray? He says we're all grown up!" Loke exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm not finished growing yet," Gray refuted. He was still at least half a head shorter than all of his brothers, and he refused to accept the fact that he wouldn't grow any taller.

"It's alright," Gajeel started snidely, knowing his younger brother's thoughts, "You're big in other areas."

An awkward silence followed as Gajeel's implications sunk in. All at once, the princes burst out laughing, some louder than others. Gildarts took in the joyous sight with a bitter grin of his own.

"About our fourth brother…" Gajeel resumed once the laughter had died out. "I heard he's in the palace. Why hasn't he come to say hello to you?"

Before Gildarts could respond Loke cut in, "You heard about how he killed the horse he rode in on, right? I heard that the officers who saw are having nightmares. They all took the day off. Why would he do such a thing?" the prince asked in disbelief.

"Being the way he is," Laxus remarked, "I would refuse his greeting if he came."

"Natsu's probably suffering more than any of us," Sting pointed out. "So don't be like that. He's our brother after all."

As if on cue, Natsu stalked through the doors of the study. He stopped as he took notice of his brothers scattered about the room, obviously not expecting them to be there. Every pair of eyes rested on him.

"It's been a long time," Sting greeted with a small grin.

"Yeah," Natsu lips quirked in an unsuccessful attempt to smile back. He glanced at each of them in turn before disappearing amongst the many bookshelves in the astronomer's room.

Once he was out of sight, several of the princes let out dramatic sighs.

"Was it just me that couldn't breathe?" Gray asked worriedly.

* * *

Lucy happily watched Yukino and Sting from across the pond. The couple was taking a stroll after the prince had returned home from his day at the Damiwon Palace, and they spoke to each other with soft smiles on their faces. It appeared to Lucy that the Eighth Prince was quite the gentlemen, helping his wife up the steps and kneeling down to slide her slipper back on her foot when it accidentally fell off.

"Levy," she addressed the girl beside her, "Can you tell me more about the Eighth Prince?"

The servant sighed pleasantly, "He is the best man in all of Ishgar. He's just as well educated as any scholar out there, and he is a man of good character. The best of the all the princes." She cleared her throat, her tone becoming more serious, "Many believe that the First Prince should not be the Crown Prince, they believe it should be our Prince Sting."

Lucy smiled as the couple made their way to sit inside a small pavilion on the edge of the pond, "They look like they have a great relationship."

"Of course! He's so caring and considerate of his sick wife."

The blonde couldn't help but nod softly in agreement with her servant's words.

"She trusts him, and would follow him anywhere. Everyone is so envious."

' _I suppose I could trust him too,'_ Lucy recalled her memories of the night before. After he had grasped her hand, he had been incredibly gentle with her, sliding her slippers onto her feet and helping her to stand.

She was brought back to the present by a callous voice to her side, "This is disrespectful!"

The blonde looked over to see a woman, her dark hair and hanbok heavily decorated with lavish ornaments and accessories. She had several servants at her flanks, and was angrily shifting her gaze between the blonde and the couple across the pond.

As the woman approached them, Levy bowed to her, "Greetings to you, Your Highness." The servant then addressed Lucy, sounding slightly scared, "My Lady," the girl grabbed the blonde's shoulders and pulled her closer, forcefully pushing her upper body down in a slight bow. "You should greet Princess Minerva," she nervously explained, her wide eyes clearly trying to tell Lucy something that wasn't being said.

' _This woman is a princess?'_ Lucy glanced up at her from her slightly crouched position. ' _There are princes, so it makes sense that there would also be princesses.'_

"Oh leave her be," Minerva smiled a bit too sweetly. "I heard she lost her memory. However, it seems she lost her manners too. What shall we do?" her voice was dripping with fake concern. "I suppose it would not hurt for you to learn from the very beginning."

' _She likes to put people down in a strange, roundabout way,'_ Lucy realized as she straightened herself out.

"You should not be staring at a married couple's activities in such a manner," the princess scolded. "I will deal with it harshly if it happens again, even if you are her cousin." She smiled sweetly once more, "Do you understand?"

' _Her hands look incredibly tense,'_ Lucy noted, ' _I've been though all sorts of crap, and this right here…'_ The blonde adopted her own pleasant smile, "If you don't like me, just say so."

Minerva laughed once, clearly taken aback, "What?"

"I could tell right away. You're trying to look for a reason to pick on me in order to set me straight." Lucy scrunched her nose and quickly shook her head, "That won't work on me. I've been thought this type of thing a lot."

The princess glanced at Levy in disbelief, "What is this girl saying to me?"

"Please forgive her, Your Highness!" the servant quickly pleaded. She smiled and laughed nervously, her hands returning to the blonde's shoulders, "Lady Lucy is not of sound mind yet."

"Are you saying that I'm crazy?"

"Oh n-no," Levy waved her hands in front of her, "that's not it."

"You wench!" Minerva started. "How dare you act that way in this household?!"

"Wench?!" Lucy prepared to pounce at the woman. Princess or not, she had no right to treat people the way she was.

"What is all this commotion?" an authoritative voice called. Both women looked over to see Sting standing a short distance away, his hands proudly clasped behind his back.

* * *

Lucy followed behind the Eighth Prince quietly. He had asked her to follow him into his study, and she had no doubt that she was about to get scolded.

Sting suddenly stopped and regarded her for moment before sighing deeply, "You must have forgotten the proper way to greet people after your head injury."

"Oh…right," she bowed to him, feeling embarrassed. Even in modern day Fiore, it was a custom to bow in greeting. "Hello…Your Highness."

"They say that you do not remember anything. Then…you must not recognize me either."

"Levy told me that you're the Eighth Prince."

"Did you spy on the princes bathing before or after you lost your memory?" he asked as he disappeared between two of the bookshelves in his study.

Lucy felt heat gather in her cheeks as she recalled the sight, "Oh, that…I…I don't really remember."

"Alright, then what do you plan on doing now? I'll allow you to do whatever you wish to do."

She heard his heavy footsteps, but couldn't catch a glimpse of him as he moved in the maze of bookshelves, "What?"

"When my wife brought you here, I planned on watching over you. You can continue to receive treatment here, or go back to your hometown. It may be difficult for you to live here, since you do not remember our ways. I can help you set up a small place."

"Why?" she asked as he finally emerged, coming to stand a few feet in front of her.

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

"I'm the one that got hurt. Why should you take care of me?"

He only blankly stared at her.

"Ah, right. It's because I'm your wife's cousin. But, still…it's not part of my personality to take handouts from people. I'll handle it, and stay in this house," she nodded softly with a determined smile on her face.

He grabbed a book, a strange grin gracing his features, before disappearing into the maze of shelves once again.

"I can't remember anything, so I can't go anywhere else," she nervously called after him, not understanding what his grin meant. "Lady Yukino, Levy, and you are here," she attempted to follow after him. "You're all being very kind, and I think that with your guys' support I can get through it. There isn't anything that I can't do once I put my mind to it! I'm a very fast learner…" she trailed off as she lost sight of him. "You…you'll know once you see me in action…I'll become a necessary part of this household," she said timidly, glancing around the edges of the shelves in search of him. "I'll do my best to relearn everything. I won't be a burden to you, Your High-" she cut herself off as she spun to find him standing directly behind her, less than a foot away.

"You," he furrowed his brows as he examined her expression, "seem like a different person."

Lucy nervously peeled her focus away from his.

"We were never close, but the way you speak and your actions. It's like you're a completely different girl," the blonde carefully looked up again, and saw a sort of acceptance cross his face. "It doesn't matter to me."

"W-what?"

"I won't press you further about what you do and don't remember, or if you spied on the princes. But please, do not make Lady Yukino worry. Understood?"

"Y-yes, Your Highness," she replied timidly.

"You may leave."

"I'll work very hard from now on," she bowed to him before gathering the skirt of her hanbok in her hands and quickly exiting his study.

He watched her go, a small look of amusement on his face.

* * *

Natsu didn't bother to read the title as he snatched a worn book from its place on the shelf of the astronomer's study. The pages crinkled as he flipped through them, each illustrating a couple in a very intimate position.

"That's the latest edition," a voice next to his ear spoke. "Would you like to borrow it?" the voice asked suggestively.

The prince glanced over his shoulder, finding a very smug looking Gildarts standing behind him. His brothers must have left.

Instead of responding, he tossed the book over his shoulder towards the astronomer, not caring if the man had to dive to catch it, "Why did you ask to see me?"

Gildarts placed the book back on its shelf before answering, "The servant who killed the bird that attempted to eat the Crown Prince's breakfast was found hanging from a noose in his room. The obvious assassination was covered up by a suicide," he eagerly told Natsu. "Doesn't that mean the culprit must be a royal family member? Particularly, one of the princes? Find the culprit."

"'Find the culprit'? Am I a dog?" Natsu scoffed. "People keep comparing me to a wolf, and now you seem to think that I really am a hound that will obey your every command."

"Did you have fun killing that horse?"

The prince paused in his pacing. He should have known that Gildarts would bring that up.

"You wish to stop living as a hostage to the Strauss family, right? Finding the culprit will give you the chance you having been waiting for, Your Highness. Take it when it is presented to you!" the astronomer exclaimed. "I mean, look at me! I was once just a normal villager who told the king that his dream of unifying the nations of Bosco, Seven, and Ishgar would come to fruition. I took my chance when I had it, and now look at where I am!"

"I told you not to use those tricks on me," Natsu pointed an accusing finger at him. "I'm no longer the little kid that enjoyed your stories whenever you came to visit. Don't think of toying with me," he lightly jabbed his finger into the astronomer's chest thrice before turning to leave.

"It's what the Crown Prince wishes."

Natsu's steps slowed to a halt once more as Zeref appeared before him, having previously been hidden behind one of the room's many pillars. The Fourth Prince slightly bowed his head in greeting as Gildarts moved to stand beside the First Prince, "We received word that there is a plan to kill the Crown Prince during the exorcism ritual."

"Ah…you want me to pretend to be you?" Natsu asked his half-brother, understanding the astronomer's implications. "Then, what will you promise me in return?"

"How about you catch the culprit, too?" Zeref asked. "Then I will grant you whatever you ask for."

Natsu couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. He considered his choices before responding, "I don't wish to return to Shirotsume. If I do this for you, I want you to ask the King to let me live in Magnolia."

* * *

Lucy wretched at the smell of the boiling mixture she was stirring. Maybe she shouldn't have declared that she would do whatever she could to make herself a necessary part of the household.

She'd been making lotus lanterns to decorate the estate for the ritual with Minerva and Yukino, struggling to get the paper to stick to the mold all the while. After happily jumping on the chance to criticize Lucy's poor work, Minerva had suggested that she would be of more use if she went to get some rest. Lucy refused, wanting to do something to help. And so the Princess had commanded Levy to show the blonde where she went to mix the glue.

That was how Lucy found herself leaning over the massive pot, standing on a small platform and stirring the boiling glue with a stick that was longer than herself. The loose sleeves of her hanbok made her task more difficult, despite having been rolled up to her elbows.

"That stupid princess…" she grumbled to herself. "How long do I have to do this for?" she lightly pounded her fist on her sore arm muscles. "I know all about skincare and have truckloads of licenses for giving massages and doing makeup. But look at me here," she remarked, pulling the large stick towards her to lean against it, "I'm like a slave."

She hopped off her small stand, moving to stretch her limbs. She tried various positions, rolling her head to loosen up her neck, then extending her hands to the sky before reaching them down to touch her toes. She then tried to stretch her sides, reaching one arm above her head and crunching the opposite side of her waist. She lightly bounced in this position, letting out small noises as she did her best to loosen her muscles. As she straightened herself out she became aware of a burning smell wafting through the air.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed as she hurriedly hopped back onto her stand in a panic. "What am I going to do? I should have known that this would happen." She leaned forward to blow on the mixture, only causing the steam billow outwards. As she coughed loudly, and very unattractively if she had to admit, she became aware of eyes on her.

The blonde turned to find Sting on the stairs that rested a few feet behind her, the hilt of sword loosely grasped in his hand. He was no longer wearing his royal navy hanbok that she had grown used to seeing him in over past couple days. Instead he wore dark, fitted training clothes. His expression was blank, his mouth hanging partially open as he stared at her. Her enthusiastic, noisy stretching and humorous panic attack had caused him to pause in his travel.

' _How long has he been standing there?!'_ Lucy screamed in her head. ' _Has he been watching me this whole time?! How embarrassing…'_

She laughed nervously, before attempting to explain, "Princess Minerva gave me the important task of making this glue." She gave him an awkward smile.

"Huh," his expression didn't change as he subtly nodded his head. "You said you would learn everything and get through it. It looks like you are doing well," he failed to restrain a laugh, and smiled as he continued up the steps.

"Y-yeah," she softly responded. She leaned against the stick again. She would have to be more careful with her actions if she wanted to blend in.

* * *

The princes moved in beat with the drum, stabbing and slashing their swords in various directions. Laxus and Gildarts watched on from the edge of the courtyard. The third prince would be playing a special role in ritual, but he still came to observe his younger brothers' practice.

Gray kept his eyes on the other princes, following their movements in an attempt to cover up his lack of memory of the routine. His delayed shout as they struck their ending position gave him away, as well as the fact that his sword was angled in the wrong direction.

"Gray," Loke hit his sword against his brother's, alerting him to his mistake.

"I give up," the raven haired boy unceremoniously plopped himself on the dusty ground. "We've practiced this hundreds of times, why do you want us to keep doing it over and over again?"

"How can you still be getting it wrong after practicing hundreds of times?" Gajeel answered the question with his own. "We have to do it again because of you!" the prince posed to hit his younger brother with his sword.

"I'm not the only one messing up!" the tenth prince childishly refuted as he popped up from his position on the ground. "Jellal keeps missing moves and pretending that he didn't. He's putting on an act!"

"It is not a mistake if you can cover it up," Jellal wistfully remarked.

"Why you…" Gray moved to pounce on him.

"Come on," Gildarts sighed as he approached the group with a grin on his face. "You must all be tired. Shall we take a break?"

* * *

The group of princes and the astronomer had moved to a nearby pavilion to enjoy some snacks a group of court ladies had prepared for them.

"Where's Natsu?" Sting asked the group. "When's he coming? It's his first time participating in the ritual, so he should definitely be here to rehearse."

"He'll be here soon," Gildarts assured before taking a sip of his tea.

"There is a rumor that when the exorcism ritual is over, the king will be abdicating the throne to the Crown Prince," Gajeel stated with a smirk on his face, staring at the astronomer pointedly.

The statement caught the rest of the group off guard.

"W-what?" Gildarts carefully set his teacup on the table. "Is there really such a rumor? Oh my, I have never heard of such a thing. Even if it were true, the king would never tell me. I'm merely an astronomer."

Laxus had a knowing smirk on his face. Gildarts was hiding something.

"I need to go see the Crown Prince about his role as the representative in the ritual. Why don't you all keep practicing?" With that the astronomer left the pavilion in a hurry.

"You shouldn't have done that," Sting turned to Gajeel. "What if the King hears about it?" He sighed in concern, "That was thoughtless."

"He's not the only one that's curious," Laxus remarked from his spot at the head of the table. "Don't blame him too much. Besides, Gildarts didn't say that the rumor wasn't true."

* * *

Lucy let out a deep breath as she laid on the porch of the Eighth Prince's home. Stirring that glue for hours on end had exhausted her, and she really felt like taking a nap. But the surface that she currently rested on wasn't suited for such, so she sat up with great effort, relying on her abs alone because her arms hurt too much to be of any help.

She brushed the sleeves of her hanbok to unroll them as she made her way to the entrance of the building, coming to an abrupt stop when a man suddenly appeared around the corner of the house. Despite almost having run into her, he didn't spare Lucy a glance as he continued on his way.

She stared after him in disbelief, though not because of his rude manner. _'The homeless man from the park?! Did he get dragged back into the past, too?!'_ Although she had only talked to him briefly, he was easy to recognize with his reddish brown hair and stubbly beard.

She raced after him, the skirt of her hanbok gathered in her hands as she cursed herself for standing idle for so long. The man had already made it across the courtyard, and was ascending the steps that lead to the exit of the estate.

She trailed after him as he made his way through the small marketplace that rested outside the Eighth Prince's home, eventually losing sight of him after she followed him over a bridge leading to a wide pathway that had been carved into the side of a small mountain.

The blonde stumbled to a stop when she realized she had absolutely no idea where she was, and none of her surrounding looked even slightly familiar. On one side of the pathway, vendors had set up tables to display their various goods. On the other lay a dangerous twenty foot drop into the freezing river below.

The sudden pounding of hooves behind her drew her attention.

"It's END!" a startled voice cried.

Lucy watched in confusion as the villagers dove out of the way of the approaching horseman. ' _Why isn't he slowing down?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted when a frightened man stumbled into her, accidentally pushing her towards the ledge of the path. Lucy's eyes slammed shut in fear and she flailed her arms wildly in an attempt to regain her balance as she teetered on the edge.

An arm suddenly wound around her waist and she felt her hands make contact with a firm chest, her eyes opening to connect with a pair of onyx colored orbs. The horseman had scooped her up, pulling her to sit in front of him as he sped past, preventing her from falling to her death.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Natsu and Lucy finally meet! And now you know why Natsu wears a mask over the left side of his face.**

 **A few quick notes on the story:**

 **-Minerva and Sting share the same mother, making them full siblings.**

 **-Although the King has many wives, Grandeeny is the only one to be treated as queen, the rest are considered royal concubines/consorts. There is another queen in the plot of Scarlet Heart, in this fic she would be Sting and Minerva's mother, but I've chosen to omit her as she isn't really an essential part of the story and I had no one from FT to fit into her role.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Fight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _An arm suddenly wound around her waist and she felt her hands make contact with a firm chest, her eyes opening to connect with a pair of onyx colored orbs. The horseman had scooped her up, pulling her to sit in front of him on his horse as he sped past, stopping her from falling to her death._

Lucy unconsciously gripped the man's sleeves, still unnerved from her sudden change in position as she settled onto the saddle in front of him. He held her gaze for a moment, an almost bored expression on his face, before looking back to the road and slowly bringing his ride to a stop. He stole a glance at her, as if expecting her to do something, but she could only stare at him in shock.

Scoffing as he turned his focus away again, he reached up to grip one of her shoulders and shoved her off of his horse.

Lucy yelped as she suddenly found herself falling to the ground, landing with an undignified thump.

"Ow," she winced, using her arms to push herself up before turning to glare up at the man.

He only raised a brow at her before urging his horse forward.

"Wait!" she called and he brought his steed to a halt once again with an annoyed sigh. "Wait. Hold on a second," she ground out as she caught her breath and painfully rose to a standing position. Falling to the ground from that high up had not been kind on her body.

She briefly took note of the crowd of villagers watching them as she faced him, her voice accusing, "How can you just toss someone around as if they're a bag or something?!"

His lip quirked up at the corner as he started moving forward once more.

"Hey! I told you to wait!" she had to jog to keep up with him, his horse's strides being much larger than her own. Once she was close enough, she jumped up and pulled the reigns back, successfully stopping his advance.

Annoyance flashed across his face as he turned his body towards her again.

"How can you go so fast on such a narrow and crowded road?! Look over there! Everyone had to dive out of your way!"

He only yanked the reigns from her hands, sneering at her as he kicked his steed and sped away, resuming his ride at full speed.

"Hey! Hey, come back! What is wrong with that guy?!" Lucy asked herself.

"My lady, please forget about him," a villager pleaded as she rushed over to the blonde.

"Someone could have gotten seriously injured! We should call the cops- I mean…the guards! We should call the guards!" she quickly corrected. "Where are they? They need to arrest that man," she declared.

"What do you mean?" the woman pleaded. "Do you really not know about the Fourth Prince? You're lucky just to be alive!" she stated before moving to return to her table.

"The Fourth… _another prince?_ " she thought out loud. "Just how many sons does the King have?"

Her train of thought stopped as she remembered why she had been out and about in the first place. ' _The homeless man!'_ Not spotting him amongst the crowd in the market, she sighed in disappointment.

"My lady! My lady!" a small voice called.

She turned to find the Levy running down the road towards her.

"What are you doing here?" the servant gripped her arms worriedly.

"Levy, who is the man with the reddish brown hair and the stubbly beard? He's about this tall," she raised her hand to estimate his height. "He came past our house earlier," she did her best to give her servant all of the information she knew about him. "Do you know of any visitors that looked like that?"

"This isn't the time to be doing this!" the girl ignored her question. "Princess Minerva has been looking all over for you!"

* * *

"It seems that our fourth brother isn't coming," Minerva remarked to her brothers who were seated in various areas across the room.

They had all come to Sting's estate for a gathering with no particular reason other than to enjoy each other's company.

"I'm glad," Gray started as he stood. "I accidentally stepped on his foot two days ago…" he smacked his hand over his left eye and made his voice more gravely to imitate Natsu's response, "'Do you want to die?'" His hand dropped and his voice returned to normal as he breathed out, "I was so scared."

"We may have the same mother, but we've never had a proper conversation," Loke complained. "He doesn't even respond to me if I say hello."

"He does have a tendency to ruin the mood," Gajeel remarked.

Their focuses all shifted towards the doors as they were roughly pushed open, rebounding loudly off of the walls. For the second time, Natsu appeared as if on cue. Their eyes followed him as he stalked towards the table that they had gathered around.

"Natsu, you've arrived," Jellal bowed in greeting, Minerva standing to mimic his gesture.

The fourth prince didn't respond as his eyes surveyed the group, landing on Gray and Loke who stood near the head of the table. The two quickly bowed to him, in fear of the consequences of not performing such an action.

Natsu roughly pulled a chair away from the table, sitting down in it heavily and folding his arms across his chest.

"You're late," Sting pointed out, though there was no anger in his voice. "You and I could rehearse together for the ritual later on our own if you would like. You missed the practice earlier."

"Yeah, we can do that," the salmon haired prince responded, sounding uninterested.

"We hadn't heard from you at all," Minerva started sweetly, "so we were going to send someone to Shirotsume to make sure you were alright. Why haven't you been writing us?"

"I'm here now, aren't I? Isn't that enough?"

"You should stay here with us while you're in Magnolia. I would like to hear about your life in Shirotsume," the princess smiled coyly.

Sting nodded in agreement, "Yes, it would be better for you to stay at our estate while you're visiting rather than in Queen Grandeeny's home."

"Sting," Laxus interrupted cruelly, "don't try so hard. He understands the language of beasts better than he understands the words of people."

"Ah, no wonder…" Natsu said thoughtfully. "I thought your words were very clear, Laxus."

Sting let out a quiet laugh, secretly proud of his brother for his comeback.

"Your Highnesses," a voice from outside the room called, "we've prepared the refreshments."

A small group of servants entered the room, each carrying trays of various foods. Lucy shyly peaked in through the open doors behind them.

Gray quickly jumped up from his seat and crossed the room to stand before the servant closest to the entrance, eager to taste all of the different snacks on her tray.

While the princes were distracted by the food, Lucy quietly entered the room and made her way over to closest pillar, using the sleeve of her pink hanbok to conceal her face.

According to Levy, Minerva had insisted that the blonde help serve the refreshments at the gathering, and, understandably, Lucy hadn't been too thrilled. Five of the princes had last seen her she 'spied' on them while they bathed. Another had just thrown her from his horse only fifteen minutes ago, and Minerva seemed to hate her guts for some unknown reason. The only member of the royal heirs that the girl considered herself to be on good terms with was Sting. So Lucy hid herself behind a pillar, not wanting to get caught by staying out in the hallway.

Unbeknownst to her, Sting and Natsu were both very aware of her presence, watching her in curiosity.

Gray also happened to glance her away, doing a double take. Before she was aware of his gaze, he had made his way to stand in front of her, leaning in close to get a better look at her downcast face.

She pulled back with a small gasp, startled when his face had suddenly appeared inches away from her own.

He quickly reached for her wrist and pulled her away from the pillar, his brows furrowed in thought, "Have we met before by chance?"

"No," Lucy did her best to keep her head down to avoid his prying eyes, "No, we haven't."

"You look familiar though," he only crouched down again, trying to get a better view of her face.

"Nope," Lucy quickly turned her head away from him again.

By now, all of the room's occupants were focused on the pair.

Gray suddenly grabbed her head in his hands, squeezing her cheeks together and forcing her to look at him.

"Y-you," his confused expression disappeared, and just as suddenly as he had grabbed her, he let go to point an accusing finger at her, "You're the one who spied on us bathing!"

"That's impossible," she futilely responded.

"It is you!" his hands were on her cheeks once again.

"It wasn't me!" Lucy brought her hands up between his, pushing them away from her face and accidentally knocking one of his hands into the tray being held by a nearby servant. It clattered to the ground, it contents spilling across the floor.

Lucy used to distraction to run from the room.

"Was that really the girl?" Loke asked.

"She seemed pretty taken aback," Jellal remarked, "so there's a good chance that it was. She sure has changed a lot. She used to be very careful and well-behaved. Right, Sting?"

"I can't really say," the Eighth Prince replied, "I wasn't that close to her."

"Gray, you must have seen wrong," Minerva started. "How could that girl have been inside the Damiwon Palace? Only royalty is allowed in there."

"I'm good at recognizing people though," he folded his arms. "I'm sure that it was her."

* * *

"Gosh, I need watch out for that little prince," Lucy noted with a sigh. She had stopped just outside the building, unsure of where to go without Levy by her side.

She immaturely stomped her feet. ' _I'm seriously going to go crazy! Why did I have to wake up in that damn spring of all places?!'_ She lightly pressed her hand to her chest to calm herself, ' _It'll be fine. If you can get through today, you probably won't have to see him ever again.'_

Her thoughts were interrupted as said boy suddenly exited the building, scanning the surrounding area and clearly looking for her. She quickly and quietly crept around the corner of the house in an attempt to get away.

* * *

 _'Where did she go?'_

Gray made sure to glance under each porch and behind each stack of hay as he wandered through his eighth brother's estate in search of the blonde haired girl. He passed a slightly open door, backtracking when he saw movement inside.

He carefully peeked through a previously torn hole in the green paper of the door. The sight that met him had him gulping.

A short, blue haired girl was changing inside, her partially bare back facing him.

As if sensing his eyes on her, the girl quickly pulled her shirt around her shoulders, securing it with a knot around her waist as she turned towards the door.

Her shriek sent him scurrying away, but he slid to a halt as he took notice of the blonde girl from before standing in his way, her arms folded across her chest.

"Hold it right there," she commanded.

"Who was it?!" Levy angrily cried as she flew out the doors, freezing when she caught sight of the prince and her lady standing only a few feet away.

"So I was right," Lucy smiled smugly, "you were spying."

Gray scoffed. "You're accusing me, a prince?" he asked, trying to find an out. He would never admit it, but he was incredibly embarrassed at the situation he had found himself in, and slightly terrified of the girl before him. "Do you actually think that I would spy on a servant like her?"

"Yes, I do," the blonde steadily replied, immune to his attempt at intimidating her.

He caught his bottom lip between his teeth and inhaled through his nose as he turned to the servant. "Are you certain that it was me?" he did his best to appear threatening, puffing his chest out and lowering his voice. Even if he was the shortest of the princes, he still towered over this servant girl, and he made sure to use his height to his advantage.

"Well…that's," she muttered, wrapping her arms around her waist.

Gray happily noted that he had had his desired effect.

"I didn't see who it was clearly…"

The prince turned back to the blonde, smirking, "Did you hear that?"

Lucy clenched her jaw, "Levy may not have seen you, but I saw it very clearly." She paused to sigh, "Look, I understand that you're at an age when you're curious about women, but that doesn't make it okay to spy on them!"

The prince flinched at her sudden increase in volume.

"Apologize to her now."

"Apologize?" Gray repeated, clearly upset by the order. "Are you telling me, a prince, to bow my head and lower myself to a servant? There is no such law in this nation. Now, step aside."

Lucy blocked his path again as he as he attempted to move around her, "Are you not ashamed?!"

"You dare disobey a prince's command?" he asked in disbelief. This girl was going against several of Ishgar's customs, "How insolent are you?"

He finally pushed her aside, stomping away angrily.

Not one to give up so easily, Lucy flung herself at him, grasping onto the collar of his hanbok, "I told you to apologize!"

Gray spun in her grip. "Seriously?!" he fumed as he grabbed her shoulders. "You're nothing more than a grain of rice!" he punctuated his insult by roughly shoving her smaller frame to the ground.

The prince paused, somewhat shocked by his own rash actions. He moved to help the blonde up, drawing back when he remembered how she had talked down to him just moments ago. He shook his head, turning to walk away once again.

He didn't make it far. Lucy had grasped onto his leg, causing him to fall to the ground as well.

"Really?!" they both glared at the other as they pushed themselves up.

As soon as they were standing the two rushed at each other, Lucy grabbing onto Gray's shoulder and short ponytail while the prince fisted one of his hands in her loose hair, the other gripping her upper arm.

"Hey, let go of me!"

"No! You let go!"

The two spun in circles as they struggled.

"I'm serious let go!"

"You let go!"

"Hey, that hurts!"

Both let out small yelps as their hair was pulled.

* * *

Their bickering had caught the attention of the group of royalty meeting in the nearby building.

"I think there's a fight going on!" Loke exclaimed.

"It's Gray," Jellal sighed, recognizing his brother's shouts.

Loke grabbed the blue haired prince's arm and dragged him out the doors, Sting and Minerva trailing after them.

"Ugh, their so childish," Gajeel complained. He was taken aback when Laxus stood to follow. "Of course, fights are very entertaining," he sarcastically remarked to himself as he stood to make his way after them as well.

Natsu remained asleep on his chair in the corner of the room, his feet resting on the table.

The group of royal heirs gathered on the edge of the yard where the childish fight was taking place.

"Let me go!"

"Ouch!"

"You! How do you like this?"

Gray pulled Lucy into a headlock, and the girl quickly grabbed the appendage that was wrapped around her neck, lowering her mouth to bite his forearm through his sleeve. He threw her to the ground with a cry of pain.

He poised to pounce on her again, but the blonde placed her foot in the center of his chest as he approached, kicking him with all of her might and succeeding in knocking the prince down onto his back as well. She moved to get on top of him, the poofy skirt of her hanbok slightly hindering her movements.

Once she had successfully straddled the prince's waist, she exhaustedly beat at his forearms, which he used to shield his face.

The princes and princess watched on in silence.

"Hey! You think you'll be able to get away this?!" Gray peeked his head through his forearms.

"You unashamed bastard! You pervert!" Lucy continued to beat at him, her exhaustion draining her hits of their force.

"You insignificant grain of rice!" the prince immaturely stuck his tongue out at her.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!" she grabbed onto his wrists and pinned them to the ground on either side of him as she drew her head back before slamming her forehead into Gray's own. The resounding smack made the spectators flinch.

Lucy huffed as she recovered. That hadn't been the best idea on her part, but at least the prince seemed to be suffering, too.

"Ow," Gray whimpered out.

"People…people like you," the blonde started, still out of breath, "need to have some sense beaten into them." Lucy pulled her arm back to slap him, only to have her raised wrist caught by a calloused hand.

"Hey! Let go of-" She whipped her head around, cutting herself off as she saw an unimpressed Natsu staring down at her. He used his grip on her to easily pull her off his brother, the now free prince scurrying to his feet.

"Natsu, hold onto her nice and tight!" Gray moved to pounce on her again, only to have the Eighth Prince throw himself in his path.

"Sting," the raven haired boy complained, struggling in the grip that his brother now had on his upper arms.

"The servants are staring, are you really planning on keeping this up?"

Gray glanced around at their crowd of spectators, roughly shrugging out of Sting's hold. He childishly stomped away, his jaw clenched in anger.

Loke failed to restrain a giggle at the sight.

"Hey, don't laugh," Jellal quietly reprimanded, lightly elbowing the orange haired prince in the ribs.

A few feet away, Lucy struggled in her attempts to free her wrist from Natsu's stony grasp. The prince only smirked back at her as she glared up at him.

Finally releasing his grip on her, he stalked away, paying no mind to Lucy scurrying after him.

"Hey, wait!"

He stopped eventually, but only once he had put a good distance between them and his siblings.

"You did this before," the girl came to stand in front of him, an angry pout on her face. "I'm not some bag that you can just tug and shove around. You should apologize," she breathed heavily, exhausted from her fight and chasing after Natsu.

"Who are you?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

"I'm Lucy."

"I'm not asking for your name," he stepped closer, leaning over her smaller frame. "What is your position, and what authority does it give you to act this way towards a prince?"

"Ugh! I told you to apologize! Why are you asking me about my rank? Are you going to ignore me if I say I'm a servant or apologize if I say I'm a princess? My position shouldn't matter!"

"So you want an apology?"

"Yes, isn't that what I just told you?!" she couldn't believe this guy. "And not just from you. That raven haired boy needs to apologize to my servant. The higher up you are, the more you should care about justice. As a prince, don't you agree?"

"Alright," he nodded, his expression cold. He crouched down to lean in close to her face, "However…once you hear 'sorry' from me, I'll have to kill you."

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction.

"But that's okay though, right? The King's probably going to have you executed anyways, considering the way you treated Gray."

The blonde tensed and looked away as he leaned in closer to her face.

"With that said," he had a cruel smirk on his face, "I'm sor-"

"Lady Yukino!" Lucy used the woman's sudden appearance off to their side to escape, running to hide behind her. "You came looking for me right? Let's go, let's go, let's go," the blonde laughed nervously, linking her arm though her cousin's and pulling her away.

Yukino and Natsu respectfully bowed their heads to each other in greeting as the blonde hurriedly dragged her past him.

"Lucy, huh?" the prince thought out loud.

* * *

Lucy stood off to the side, watching as Yukino carefully placed another stone on top of the knee-high pile. Gongs sounded in the distance, and the blonde curiously glanced around, trying to spot their source.

The place that her cousin had brought her to was breathtaking. Several miniature mountains of stones were stacked in various places across the small plateau. Some of the larger ones even had candles placed on their summits, waiting there for nighttime to arrive so that they could be lit. Lotus lanterns hung from the trees that were scattered across the grounds, adding splashes of vibrant pink to the landscape.

Yukino stepped away from the pile and swept her arms up to the sky from her sides, silently clapping her hands above her head before drawing them down her center to rest in front of her chest. To Lucy, it looked like she was praying.

"Whatever the reason was," her cousin started softly, "you hit the son of the king of our nation."

The blonde quietly clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head.

"You will not be able to avoid the consequences. Considering you are from his household, Sting may be punished as well…"

"Do you…do you think you can help me?" Lucy quietly pleaded. She should have known better. She was in a different a time. A time where people weren't viewed as equals. She couldn't just go around fighting whoever she pleased, no matter what injustice they had done. "I'll do my best to explain the situation to the King."

"Do you think it is easy to gain an audience with King Igneel?" Yukino's voice was growing more agitated, "I don't know how you have changed so much in so little time. You were such a well-behaved girl."

Lucy bowed her head again as her cousin sighed.

"The mothers of Magnolia come here to pray for the well-being of their children. They place a stone atop their pile each time they visit" Yukino solemnly explained. "Have you thought about why I come here, even though I have no children?"

The blonde remained silent.

"This one here," she gestured to small stack in front of them, "I'm building it for you."

Lucy was taken aback, "For me?"

"When you first came into this house…when I knew that you would grow up without your mother…instead of treating you like my cousin, I took you in as my little sister." Yukino sighed sorrowfully, "I imagine that your mother would have built this for you, if she were still alive. So I wanted to do the same thing. However, on a day like today…I wonder if my prayers were not enough," she choked out as tears began gathering in her eyes. "Your mother must be watching us from heaven, and I wonder what I should do. I feel like I have failed her by allowing you to find yourself in this situation."

A tear carved its way down Lucy's cheek. "My mom," she said softly, her thoughts suddenly turning to her real mother, the one from her time. ' _Will I never see her again? And what about dad?'_ More tears fell from her eyes.

Yukino made her way over to embrace her. "Lucy, what am I going to do with you?" she asked the sobbing girl, tears of her own falling down her cheeks. "Please, think of your mother. And do your best to live well here."

* * *

The sun had begun disappearing behind the mountains surrounding the valley as Lucy played with the hem of the top of her hanbok. She sat on the ground and lightly leaned against the small prayer tower her cousin had built for her. Yukino had left, the blonde telling her that she wanted to stay here for a bit longer.

' _Lucy,'_ she thought to herself, _'you're a burden to others wherever you go. Everyone is being so kind to you, but you're just a nuisance,'_ she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. ' _Is there no way to back to my time? I want to return, if only I could find a way. Mom and dad must be waiting for me...'_

"My lady!" Levy called as she made her way up the steps to the small plateau. "What are you doing here?" She crouched next to Lucy and grabbed her hands with a soft smile, rubbing them between her own, "It's cold, and you shouldn't sit outside for so long."

"Levy, you know how I asked you about that man before? The one with the reddish brown hair and stubbly beard. Do you know who he is?"

Her servant's brow furrowed in thought.

"He visited the estate today with the princes."

"I'm not sure, our house has many visitors. But my lady…I think it's time for you to take a bath."

Lucy suddenly inhaled in realization, _'Maybe if I go back to the place that I woke up in, I'll be able to go home!'_

"That spring that you found me in when I got hurt, let's go there for my bath!"

"We can't! I have a bad feeling about that place," her servant protested. "Besides, at this time of day it's probably being used by one of the royals. I'll get some water drawn for you, so that you can bathe at our estate!"

Lucy gave up, not wanting to cause her servant any more grief. She had done enough damage to others today, especially Yukino.

' _But that man I saw before, he was definitely the homeless guy from the park. I have to find him!'_

* * *

Jellal and Gajeel chuckled as they looked at Gray, who sat with his head propped on his hand in front of them, an angry pout on his face. It was the day after the fight, and the prince had an angry red splotch on his forehead.

"Yep, a bruise is forming," Gildarts stated, amusement in his voice, "and a very blue one at that."

"Oh, you'll be more colorful than a painting!" the three laughed at Jellal's joke, stopping when Gray shot to his feet.

"I won't let that girl get away with this," he growled out. "How dare she treat a prince this way?" He started stomping towards the door, Jellal quickly latching onto his shoulder and dragging him back.

"Did you say that Lady Lucy was your opponent?" the astronomer inquired. "From what I've seen and heard, she's a very lively girl. It isn't easy to find a lady like that." He placed his hand on Gray's upper arm, "You've experienced something quite rare."

"Yeah," Gajeel agreed as he sat in the chair his brother had previously occupied. "Being a prince makes it quite difficult to experience getting beaten up," he teased.

"You may have met your fate, Gray," Jellal started. "You were able to recognize her face after only having seen the girl once before…any particular reason you recognized her so easily?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"My fate? Yeah right. If anything she's my fated enemy!"

"No, you just don't know women very well," the blue haired prince said thoughtfully. "If she had no interest in you she wouldn't even touch you."

"Then, you're saying…she hit me because she's interested in me?"

* * *

"Your Highness!" the court lady yelped as Natsu shoved her aside. He'd grown sick of his mother avoiding him and refusing his visits, so he charged past the servants and roughly shoved the doors to her room open. He froze in his tracks when he caught sight of Loke and Laxus seated on the floor, happily having tea with their mother. Their grins faded as they took notice of his sudden appearance.

Loke moved to greet the fourth prince with a bow, but Grandeeny's hand on his thigh kept him seated.

"Greetings to you, mother," Natsu bowed to her before kneeling a few feet in front of her, a hopeful smile on his face. The Queen didn't even glance at him, continuing to stay focused on pouring tea for her youngest son. "Have you been well?"

"I had heard that you arrived," she stated with disdain.

"I've already met with my brothers, and thought that I should meet with you as well."

Grandeeny only let out a small, bitter laugh.

"Mother, it seems like Natsu has had some martial arts training lately," Loke excitedly explained.

"Martial arts?" she repeated, slightly taken aback.

"Yes!" the orange haired prince eagerly replied. "You should have seen him when we were practicing for the ritual earlier, he was amazing. According to the rumors Gray told us earlier-"

Laxus cut him off with a quick grunt, "They're baseless rumors. Gray has only ever spoke useless nonsense."

Grandeeny finally shifted her gaze to Natsu, " _You_ tell me. Have you learned martial arts?"

The Fourth Prince smiled softly at her, grateful to finally have her attention, "I haven't."

"Oh, of course. Why would you have?" the queen spitefully responded. "The Strauss family would never waste their time training someone like you," she raised her cup to her lips, missing the hurt that flashed across Natsu's face. "It's been a long time since you've been to the capital, so enjoy your visit," she continued indifferently, wanting to rid herself of Natsu's presence as soon as possible. "You no longer need to visit me while you remain here. You may leave."

Seeing the disgust on her face hurt him more than he could have prepared himself for, "It's been two years…you want me to leave already?"

"It's because of your adoptive family who lies around suffering without you," she lied sweetly. "You should return to them quickly after the ritual."

The prince swallowed down his sorrow at her words. "I had planned on staying a little longer. Why don't I stay in the palace with my brothers?"

"That's impossible," her sudden increase in volume startled all of the room's occupants. "You are a member of the Strauss household in Shirotsume. The longer you stay here, the larger the grudge between the royal family and the Strauss family grows."

"You say that I was sent there to be adopted," Natsu started softly, "But I'm older and understand the situation better now. I know that I was sent there to be their hostage."

Laxus suddenly burst out laughing, "By saying that you're a hostage, did you expect to gain sympathy? Did you think that mother would change her mind? The only thing she's worried about is that your prolonged presence here will be a bother to your adoptive family. She has no concern for your thoughts on the situation."

"Laxus is correct," the queen affirmed, her expression stone cold. "What reason could I possibly have to send you as a hostage?"

Natsu numbly nodded his head, his eyes glassy and throat suddenly feeling tight. "Since you are saying that, I will have to trust you," He moved to push himself onto his feet, but he suddenly remembered the butterfly hairpin that was tucked into the sash around his waist. "Oh, right. I was in the marketplace and got you someth-"

"Didn't I ask you to leave?" Grandeeny interrupted coldly.

The prince swallowed heavily and stood, "I guess I'll be going then."

Once he had trudge out of the room, the queen turned to Laxus, "When the ritual has ended, make sure he leaves. If he insists on staying, call in the military officers, and get him out of my palace."

"Don't worry about it. He has no right to stay here," the third prince smirked.

Loke glanced at Grandeeny, still shocked by the conversation he'd just witnessed, "Mother, are you aware of the rumors about Natsu that have been spreading among the villagers? They speak of you, saying that you're the one who scarred his face."

"Loke, don't bother leaving the palace if you're going to come back with such rumors," Laxus ground out. The orange haired prince had yet to be born when Grandeeny had permanently damaged her son's face. After the fact, the queen had done everything she could to prevent the news of her actions from spreading. Zeref, the King, Laxus, Grandeeny, and Natsu himself were the only ones to know the truth.

"Y-yes brother."

* * *

Gildarts hurried after Natsu as the salmon haired prince stormed through the palace's entryway. The astronomer had overheard every word of the fourth prince's conversation with the queen, the paper walls doing little to keep their voices from carrying into the room where he'd been chatting with Gray, Jellal, and Gajeel.

"Prince Natsu," Gildarts called, bringing the man to a stop. He carefully contemplated his next words, "You should take a bath before the exorcism ritual, it might help take your mind off of things." He turned to address a nearby court lady, "Prepare the spring for the Fourth Prince."

"Yes sir," she made her way over to the salmon haired man, and he begrudgingly followed her to the bath.

* * *

"Now that I think about it, when _did_ Natsu get that scar on his face?" Jellal asked Gray and Gajeel as they observed the Fourth Prince lag behind the servant. The three had also unintentionally eavesdropped on his conversation with his mother, and being not as brave as Gildarts was to approach him, they had settled against the wall of the palace's entryway to watch his next actions.

"I'm not sure," Gajeel remarked, "he's had it for as long as I can remember, but I've never seen the thing 'cause he always wears that weird mask." A smirk crossed his face, "But if you want to know about Gray's bruise, I can provide you with plenty of information."

"Oh, shut up!"

Jellal only rolled his eyes as the ninth and tenth princes launched themselves at each other.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Gray and Lucy are my Brotp so it was a lot of a fun writing their little fight.**

 **Not much clarification to add to this chapter, I think it was all pretty straight forward.**

 **Thank you to all of those who reviewed, favorited, and followed. It helps me know that people actually care about reading this story and therefore motivates me to keep publishing chapters :D**


	5. Chapter 5: The Exorcism Ritual

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo.**

* * *

"If the rumor of abdicating the throne hadn't come up, we wouldn't have to rush like this," Laxus paced his mother's room. A cruel grin crossed his face as he thought aloud, "Zeref has always acted so strong. I wonder what he'll be like as he's dying."

"Opportunites like this do not come often," Grandeeny remarked from her place on her bed. "You _must_ finish him off during the exorcism ritual."

"I told you that you do not need to worry," the blonde prince sat beside her. "I'll take care of everything."

* * *

Natsu waited until the maids had exited the spring before stripping himself of his robe and reaching around to untie the knot at the back of his head, placing the now loose ceramic, obsidian mask beside the butterfly hairpin that he had gotten for his mother on a nearby table. He didn't want anyone to see his scars. Not the one on his face nor the ones that littered his chest and back.

He didn't bother taking off his loose, mesh pants, and they hung low on his hips as he entered the candle-lit spring.

 _'You really do look like a demon,'_ he thought as he caught sight of his reflection below him in the pool, ' _just like all the villagers said.'_

The water before him suddenly surged upwards, disrupting his reflection nad causing him to stumble back a few steps. A figure emerged, gasping for breath and coughing out water.

"I can't stay under any longer!" It was the blonde from yesterday, the one he'd thrown off of his horse. "Screw trying to go back this way! There's no way that I can drown my-" she cut herself off as she as finally opened her eyes and caught sight of him standing before her. She gasped, her eyes widening.

As he recovered from his shock, Natsu remembered that he no longer wore his mask. He quickly covered his eye with his hand, slightly angling his body away from her.

They stood like that for a moment, her staring at him with her eyes and mouth open wide and him carefully glancing at her with his right eye.

"Did…you see it?"

Her expression was answer enough. She definitely had, he had no doubt about it.

He let his hand fall back to his side, anger slowly overtaking his features. He had done so well at hiding his scar. No eyes but his own had fallen upon it for years. Not even his brothers'. But now this girl, a girl that had already annoyed the hell out of him, had suddenly appeared and caught him off guard. She had seen the part of him that he swore no one would ever see.

He stalked towards her slowly, shooting his hand out and wrapping it beneath her jaw to drag her closer once he was in range. She shrieked as he did it, quickly grasping at his wrist and struggling to free herself. If he moved his hand any lower, he would be strangling her.

"Please," she shakily breathed out. "Please let me live…"

He sneered at her as he crouched over her form, "Forget me."

Her face was full of fear as she looked up at him.

"Erase it all," he leaned in closer to her face. "If you don't," he threatened, his voice quiet but intimidating, "your face will soon look like this, too."

The girl swallowed heavily as she quickly nodded her head.

He slowly released his hold on her jaw and she shakily sucked in a breath.

Without glancing back at her, he ascended the steps out of the spring, snatching his mask and robe from the table before exiting the room.

Lucy's knees gave out once he was gone and she sank back into the water. The blonde sat there sniffling for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. He'd scared the hell out of her.

She whipped her head around when something made a clinking sound as it fell onto the floor.

' _A hairpin?'_ she made her way over to the fallen item, only having time to take it into her hand before a voice called from outside the room.

"The fourth prince has left, let's cleanup for the night!"

She quickly scrambled to the bushes and made her way through the caves that Levy had led her though when she'd first arrived in Ishgar, retrieving her discarded lantern from where she had left it at the entrance.

She spaced out as she traveled back to Sting's estate, her body and mind both feeling a bit numb. Before she knew it, she was walking down the path that lead to his property.

"Lady Lucy! Where have you been?"

At Levy's shout she finally became aware of her surroundings, and of the group of people that stood clustered around the gate of the estate.

Her servant rushed to her side, pulling the lantern from her freezing hands and taking a hold of one of her arms to lead her over to Sting and Yukino. The couple looked extremely distressed, the white haired woman clutching tightly onto her husband's arm.

"You…were you all waiting for me?"

"Where have you been?" her cousin pressed, concern evident in her voice.

"I…I was just so dirty," she anxiously lied. "I wanted to take a bath."

Sting let out a quick breath and turned his head to side, clearly expecting a better answer, "You should tell people where you're going before you just disappear like that. The whole family was worried."

"The family…" Lucy softly repeated. It had been a long time since she had seen this many people be genuinely concerned for her well-being.

"Take the Lady inside and get her warmed up."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lucy felt her eyes warm with tears when she surveyed the gathered group as Levy lead her passed them.

"It looks like," she quietly remarked to herself, "I've finally found a home."

* * *

"You're such a troublemaker," Levy reprimanded softly as she used a towel to lightly pad Lucy's hair dry. "I told you not to go back there."

"Hey Levy, what's the Fourth Prince like?"

"The Fourth Prince…did you run into him at the bath?!" her servant panicked.

"N-no…"

"You must avoid Prince Natsu at all costs!"

"Why do the townspeople fear him?"

"His birth mother is Queen Grandeeny," Levy explained, terror in her voice, "but he was adopted by the Strauss household in Shirotsume. He's a man with two very powerful families, and he's infamous for his cruelty. There is a rumor that he kills people effortlessly, being especially brutal to those who have seen the scar on his face."

"Th-those who have seen his scar?"

"He wouldn't be able to step foot in Magnolia if he weren't a prince," Levy returned to her task of drying the blonde's hair. "It's quite a relief."

"Wait," Lucy was suddenly curious, "that's not because of his scar, right?"

"Of course it is!"

"Why would having a scar on his face prevent him from being able to go certain places?"

"It's simple really. People don't want to look at unattractive faces," her servant explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lucy scoffed, ' _So "pretty" people are automatically better off in this time? This is a truly despicable world.'_

* * *

The day of the exorcism ritual had finally arrived. The servants of the Damiwon Palace spent the entire morning and afternoon decorating the grounds for the event that would take place later that night. Colorful lanterns and banners baring the royal family's crest, a swirling, golden dragon, were hung from the walls on the palace's perimeter, billowing out slightly in the light breeze. The lanterns came in various shapes and vibrant colors, some resembling dragons and others fish.

All over Magnolia, people were excitedly preparing for the festival that would accompany the ritual.

Lucy had been standing in the same place for quite some time. Levy and two other servants circled around her, meticulously adding layer after layer to her azure hanbok. This one was a lot fancier than any of the others she had worn thus far, and it was made of lavish silk rather than a simple cotton-like material. And instead of wrapping a large sash across her breasts, like they had with her other hanboks, a small silver strip was tied tightly around her waist. The long sleeves of this hanbok were also tight on her arms, greatly contrasting the looseness that Lucy had grown used to ever since she'd been in Ishgar. Silver embroidery swirled its way across the wide cuffs and collar, adding even more elegance to the hanbok.

Another servant worked on her hair, pinning it in the same way that Lucy had worn it on previous days. She took a small handful of hair from the bottom layer, styling it in a four strand braid before wrapping it around the top of Lucy's head and securing it back at the base of her neck to act as a sort of headband for the blonde. The rest of her hair was lightly combed under the braid, then left to fall loose behind her, lightly brushing her lower back.

Levy thoughtfully deliberated on which hairpin to use. Finally deciding on one that had two silver hubiscus flowers with shining gems in the centers, she slid the decorative piece in front of the braid in the blonde's hair, securing it just above her right ear.

* * *

In the palace, the queen had also been preparing for the ritual for many hours, standing with her arms extended to her sides as her court ladies draped and tied the various layers of her hanbok on her body. The top was a rich cream color, and the skirt a deep maroon. Her servants accessorized her already extravagant appearance by adding gold belts, necklaces, and earings. Numerous leaf-like golden hair pins held the massive bun on the back of her head in place, and various strings of pearls crisscrossed over the bun.

The last touch to her outfit was her royal robe. It was also a rich cream color, a maroon pattern swirling across the fabric. The stiff material of the robe extended past her shoulders, making them appear broader.

"I do not want any woman to shine brighter than me tonight," her painted red lips were drawn in a thin line.

* * *

Yukino and Minerva bowed to the Queen as she crossed the palace courtyard towards them, her personal court ladies following behind her in two lines.

"My, my. It appears that two flowers have bloomed in the palace," Grandeeny smiled sweetly at them, taking in their appearances.

Yukino had her silver hair pinned in a twisted bun at the crown of her head. Her silk hanbok matched the navy blue and pink pins, and strings of pearls hung from her ears.

The princess had only half of her dark hair secured atop her head and she wore a lavish, bright orange and pink hanbok.

"Princess Minerva," the queen addressed her. "You should come to visit me in the palace sometime and share your stories of the outside world with me. My sons are no good for such a thing."

"I'm worried that my speaking skills are not good enough to entertain you," the woman replied pleasantly. "But I will make sure to visit you soon."

"I'll be expecting you. Shall we go in, then?"

Minerva's smile dropped as the queen passed them, her hands fisting in her skirt.

Yukino worriedly glanced over at her sister-in-law, tentatively reaching out to grab one of her hands in an effort to comfort the princess.

"Merely running into her makes the color of the day darken," Minerva ground out as she roughly yanked her hand free of Yukino's soft grasp. "Sting will have to take his place in the palace soon."

"We're standing in the palace as we speak. You must be careful with your words while we are here," Yukino swallowed timidly, her eyes downcast. "You should forget about everything that the queen has done."

"How could I forget such a grudge?"

* * *

The drum beat steadily as the princes rehearsed for the final time. The sun had begun setting, and the ritual would begin as soon as darkness fell.

When their routine was finished, they each pulled their thick clay masks from their faces, the long material that was secured to the edges of the masks dragging across their hair and foreheads as they did so. Every prince besides Zeref and Laxus held a half-red and half-white mask. The two eldest brothers each played a special role different from their siblings in the ritual, and thus their costumes were unique.

"The King will be proud to see all of you participating," the First Prince nobly stated from his place in front of the group. "Once this ritual is over, we'll join with our father and the queen to have a great feast."

"Yes, Crown Prince," his brothers chorused, bowing to him.

Gray quickly straightened himself out and scurried to Sting's side. "Brother, will your wife and Lucy be attending the ritual?" he excitedly inquired.

"Yes, I think so."

"Ah, is that so?" the raven haired boy nodded, a small on his face.

"Why?" Gajeel snidely jibed. "Are you planning on getting beaten up for being a bad performer?"

Gray's grin immediately dropped, "N-no," he weakly defended. His face suddenly filled with determination, "I'll really give her a piece of my mind this time!"

"So you're planning on getting another fat bruise?" Laxus smugly teased.

All of the princes, except for Natsu, chuckled, Loke far louder than the rest. The orange haired prince moved to lean over Gray's shoulder, continuing to laugh directly into the boy's ear.

"Stop laughing," the raven haired prince warned.

Loke didn't cease his boisterous snickering.

"I told you to stop!"

The youngest prince's laughter quickly turned into wordless shouting as Gray started chasing after him, his sword held above his head.

"Come back here!"

The two ran in circles around the princes several times before colliding after Loke had suddenly turned to face his brother.

"Ow! Oh…" Gray dramatically fell on his back, a hand clutching his chest.

Jellal and Sting chucked at his act and Natsu's lips began to quirk in a small smile.

"Gray!" Loke was easily deceived. He kneeled over his raven haired brother, worried that he had accidently hurt him, "Are you okay?!"

"I've got you now!" the raven haired boy wrapped his legs around his brother's waist and threw his arms over his neck, pulling him down into a tight hold. The boys continued wrestling each other loudly on the ground. "You're still no match for your older brother!"

By now all of the princes were laughing, even Natsu. Although he quickly stopped, his face becoming stony once more when he noticed that Sting was staring at him with an almost relieved expression on his face.

Laxus turned his gaze away from his brothers, catching sight of the acrobats that would be acting as the demons during the ritual filing down the nearby stairs. They wore wide, horned, seaweed colored masks and matching hanboks.

His entire plan depended on them following through with their side of the deal.

* * *

Nighttime had fallen quickly, and Natsu had gone to meet with Zeref and Gildarts. It was time to follow through with their deal. The two princes were to switch places during the ritual, a provision they had to take in case the rumors of an assassination attempt on the First Prince turned out to be true. The half-brothers had already met in secret and taught each other their parts.

The fourth prince handed Zeref his half-red and half-white mask. The Crown Prince had already adorned a simple red hanbok, and he would blend in well with the rest of the princes who would be wearing the same outfit.

Natsu grabbed his brother's black mask from Gildarts' hands, sliding it over his head to rest in its correct position. He'd changed into a black topped hanbok with a red skirt, and a long obsidian robe now rested over his shoulders. He shared a glance with the astronomer through the holes of his mask before grabbing his shield and spear.

As the drums began their beating, he ascended the stairs and made his way into the center of the floor that would serve as the stage for the ritual. Beige lanterns hung from two parallel wires over the area, and four fire pits burned in the corners of the floor, the only sources of light in the dark night. Colorful ribbons had been tied in the spaces between the lanterns, and they fluttered in the soft breeze.

On one edge of the floor, a set of wide and steep stairs made their way up to an elevated platform, where the King, Queen, and other members of the royal advisory were seated. Several strings of beads hung from all sides of King Igneel's ceremonial crown, meant to symbolically block all evil from entering his eyes and ears.

Natsu spun around himself and swept his spear to the side when the drums quickened their rhythm. He had taken Zeref's role as the Fangxiangshi, a demon-hunter who would drive evil spirits away.

The fourth prince spun around himself a few more times before he paused, using his weapon to point to the platform on the edge of the floor opposite the royals. His brothers stepped out from the behind the screens atop the podium, each sweeping his sword in front of his body before they froze in a line across the platform's edge. They were representing the Jin Ja, the princes who were led by the Fangxiangshi.

Another group suddenly started running onto the stage, this time coming up the steps on its sides. They wore all black, and were led by a masked Laxus, who wore a charcoal colored fur coat. They represented the Chang Soo, those who used spells to cast away the evil spirits. They crossed the floor diagonally, shouting and cracking their whips as they went.

They lined up on the edges of the area as the princes suddenly moved from their spot, masks concealing their faces and the skirts of their red hanboks fluttering behind them as they rushed down the stairs and spread across the floor, swords in hand.

Once they had all found their proper positions, the drumming ceased and the princes stood still, Natsu standing at the head of the scattered group. They all faced the King, their stances wide and weapons angled diagonally downwards in their right hands.

The princes watched through their masks as Gildarts bowed to the King.

"The Jin Ja have gathered!" although he was addressing Igneel, the astronomer's powerful voice echoed throughout the entire area. "We will now cast out the evil spirits!"

All was still and silent as they awaited the King's command.

Igneel's hand suddenly flew to the side and a gong was rung, and the drums resumed their beating.

The princes began their routine, synchronized in their movements as they spun and slashed their swords through the air to the steady beat. They moved through each other, stomping their feet forcefully as they went. They formed a single file line behind Natsu, and he swept his spear in an arc in front of his body. The other princes mimicked him with their swords, the movement rippling down the line. When the ripple had finished they broke the formation, each prince spinning in a different direction as they scattered across the floor once more.

They all crouched, pretending to be fearful as figures in seaweed colored hanboks suddenly launched themselves over the walls running parallel to the sides of the floor. The new arrivals were the acrobats that would be posing as the evil spirits in the ritual. The princes scurried out of their way, giving them room to tumble across the floor.

Natsu suddenly struck his shield with his spear, the resounding sound bringing the 'evil spirits' to a halt.

"The Crown Prince is very good at his role," Yukino remarked quietly to the King from her place on the platform, not knowing that it was Natsu who she was complimenting.

"He has practically lived on the battlefields," Igneel responded proudly, also unaware of the switch that had taken place.

Grandeeny sneered as she overheard the exchange.

The sound of swords clinking together rang out from the stage below. The Fangxiangshi had begun his battle against the demons.

* * *

Lucy happily squealed as she stumbled away from the fire breather in front of her. She had politely declined Yukino's invitation to the ritual, instead choosing to stay behind and explore the festival in the marketplace with Levy. She'd been making too many mistakes lately, and didn't want to risk the chance of further ruining the royal family's opinion of her. She was sure she would have to face the consequences of hitting a prince soon, now that the ritual would be over with. She thought that the King was probably going to have all of her limbs cut off, so she enjoyed the festival while she could.

She had already visited several stalls with her servant, trying various rice cakes and admiring all of the lovely homemade accessories that were for sale. They had also watched on as a man balanced and spun a bowl atop a long stick, a band rhythmically banging on pans all the while. The girls had danced along to the beat, both grabbing stray ribbons and twirling them through the air.

Lucy had to admit, the traditional festivals of her time paled in comparison to the real thing.

* * *

Natsu spun as he jumped through the air, kicking his legs and taking out several of the performers at once.

When he landed, six of them rushed towards him and slashed their swords downwards. He crouched down and brought his spear over his head to block their attacks. The group shuffled across the stage, just as they had practiced, before Natsu suddenly surged upwards and swept his spear around him, sending the 'demons' flying to the floor in all directions.

The men along the sides of the stage began cracking their whips again as Laxus ran onto the floor, holding his sword to a nearby performer's throat, "We call upon the twelve gods to wipe out the evil spirits and their disease." He and Natsu stalked around the stage, glaring at each 'demon' as they passed. Laxus continued in a resounding voice, "I will cut into your body. I will pierce your liver and slice your flesh." The two princes stood to face each other, staring at one another through the holes of their masks, "I will pull out your stomach and your intestines!"

Both princes whipped their heads around as more figures flew over the walls.

Natsu stumbled a bit, ' _That wasn't supposed to happen…'_

Realization dawned on him as the new arrivals drew their swords from their sheaths. All of the performers, including the princes, had been instructed to leave their swords sheathed during the ritual to avoid injury.

The rumor was true. These people were here to kill the Crown Prince, which meant that they would be coming for him.

One of them suddenly flew through the air at him, Natsu barely having time to bring his shield up before the blade easily stabbed through the prop.

"Protect the King!" Gildarts voice resound as the acrobats that had been laying on the floor drew their blades as well.

Natsu chucked his spear aside and stole the sword out his attacker's hand before spinning to kick his opponent in the chest. The man went flying back into Laxus as the salmon haired prince turned to slash another approaching assassin in the neck. He fell to the ground, dead.

Guards filed onto the platform in front of their King and drew their swords.

Sting, Gajeel, and Loke ripped their masks off, unsheathing their swords as they flew into combat. Zeref also joined the fight, keeping his mask on as he slashed at the assassins. Gray and Jellal stayed off to the side, watching the fight with worry in their eyes. Neither of the two had ever shown much interest in learning to wield a weapon, and had therefore never gained the skill set that such a task required. They concluded that their presence in the battle would be more of a hindrance than a help.

Laxus smirked beneath his mask, satisfied that everything was going according to plan as he slowed his movements so he could make eye contact with his opponent. The man's subtle nod indicated that he had gotten the prince's message.

The blonde prince dove to the side as the assassin suddenly rushed forward, clearing his path so he could charge the Crown Prince from behind.

But the still masked prince suddenly spun to the side as he fought, the assassin missing his mark and instead slicing through the flesh of his arm.

The prince fell to the ground in pain, dropping his shield so he could grip the wound.

"Zeref!" the king called worriedly from his seat as another assassin swung his sword at his kneeling form.

His attack was blocked by Loke, and the orange haired prince swung his sword to slice the man's throat.

Most of the assassins had already fallen at the hands of the other princes, and were bleeding out on the floor. Those who remained alive inhumanly climbed back up the walls and vanished from sight.

Laxus ripped his mask off angrily as he ran after them, commanding a group of guards to follow. His assassins had failed, and he was going to make sure that they suffered the consequences.

Sting gathered some of the guards as well and started off after his older brother.

All of the other princes that had fought were breathing heavily, still surprised at what had just taken place.

"Zeref!" the King called as he made his way down the stairs and crouched beside the kneeling prince. He carefully removed the figure's mask, a quiet gasp escaping his lips when it was Natsu's face that greeted him instead of the Crown Prince's. The King stared at him in confusion for a moment, before straightening himself out and angrily spinning around to look at the people gathered, "Where is the Crown Prince?!"

"I'm here, my king," Zeref finally removed his mask.

Igneel sighed in relief as he caught sight of him.

' _Does…does he not care about me?'_ Natsu thought as he remained kneeling on the ground. ' _Does he not care that I was injured while protecting his precious first-born's life?'_

Gildarts suddenly cleared his throat, "Are you alright, Fourth Prince?"

The salmon haired man stood, everyone's gaze turning to him.

"Natsu," the King breathed out heavily, unsure of what to say.

"I will catch them for you," the Fourth Prince declared, running off before anyone could speak.

Zeref made to follow him, but he was stopped by his father snatching his wrist.

* * *

Lucy had been standing alone, admiring the colorful fish, bird, and flower shaped lanterns that had been set afloat in a nearby pond when she spotted him running through the crowd. The fourth prince had his eyes trained above him, sword in hand as he disappeared into the forest that surrounded the village.

Before she was aware of what she was doing, or why she was doing it, she found herself chasing after him. But she soon lost sight of him in the trees, and she finally realized her situation.

 _'What the hell was I thinking, running after him? You really are trying to get yourself killed aren't you, Lucy?'_

After a spending a short time wandering through the woods, she caught a sight of a group of men standing in a nearby clearing. She kept her distance, hiding behind a tree and peaking her head out to observe them. All but one was facing her direction, but their eyes were downcast. Half of them wore them wore demon-like masks and seaweed colored hanboks, and the others wore the armor of the royal guards. The only one that was dressed differently than the rest was standing with his back to her while he paced in front of the group. All she could see of him was his fur coat and blonde hair that sat in a bun atop his head.

With a shout from the blonde man, the guards pushed the masked men to their knees, pausing momentarily before slaughtering them.

Lucy brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her scream, scrambling to run away, her eyes wide.

* * *

Natsu had been fighting a group of four assassins for some time. He'd managed to down three of them, leaving the men to bleed out onto the forest floor.

"Do you think you'll get out of this forest alive?" he jibed. The two opponents stood with their swords aimed at the other, though neither of them advanced. "Tell me who is behind all of this. If you do, I'll speak to the King about a pardon for you." The salmon haired man dropped his sword and moved towards the man, "I'm the Fourth Prince, Natsu. You should trust in the promise of a prince."

Natsu's lips quirked as the assassin looked away from him, his hands shaking as he, too, lowered his sword.

They both whipped their heads to side as a girl suddenly stumbled into the clearing where they were fighting, the blonde freezing when she saw the two swordsmen.

She shakily inhaled as she made eye contact with the prince. "O-over there…" she pointed to the direction she had come from, "th-there's p-people…they've been ki-"

The assassin suddenly lunged for her, pulling her quivering form into his chest and positioning his blade at her throat.

Natsu clenched his jaw, "Go ahead…kill her."

Lucy's eyes widened fearfully.

"I told you to kill her."

The masked man only glanced down at the blonde that he held against his chest before silently looking back to Natsu.

"If you won't do it, then should I?" the prince quickly aimed his sword at her chest, and began slowly moving towards them. For every step Natsu took forward, the man took one back, dragging the terrified Lucy with him.

She shrieked through her clenched teeth as the assassin's blade sliced the flesh of her neck. Although the cut was shallow, blood poured from it quickly, running down her skin to stain her hanbok.

"P-please…save me," she shakily pleaded, tears gathering in her eyes as she stared at Natsu.

He swallowed, his face showing no emotion as he broke eye contact with her to look at the man behind her, "I don't care what you do to that girl. So stop with this useless act and tell me who is behind all this. Now!" Natsu commanded.

The assassin looked between the blonde and the prince once again.

The group stood in silence for a moment, the man's grip slightly loosening on Lucy. Realizing that the prince was going to be of no help to her, she dove her head forward and sunk her teeth into the flesh of the man's hand. Natsu moved back in shock as the assassin threw her to the ground before him. He quickly recovered from her attack and moved to swing his sword down at her.

He was stopped when a small knife flew through the air, cracking his mask as it embedded itself in his forehead. He fell to the ground, instantly dead.

Sting stepped out of the trees, a group of guards following behind him, his shoulders still twisted from throwing the knife.

Catching sight of him, Lucy sighed in relief. But her fear quickly returned as Natsu gripped the collar of her hanbok and roughly pulled her up from the ground.

"Why?" he furiously shouted in her face. "I almost had him, and then you showed up! All of that work gone to waste, because of a girl like you!" he raised his sword to press it against her throat.

The tip of another sword suddenly rested on Natsu's shoulder, inches away from his own neck. He turned to find Sting standing there, the blonde prince's expression stony.

"That's enough. She's innocent, so let her go."

Natsu lips quirked before spinning to knock his sword against his brother's. His hand left Lucy's collar and his arm wound around her shoulders, pulling the blonde into his chest. The brothers' swords clashed again, this time staying held strongly against each other.

Natsu tilted his head, glancing at the girl in his arms before looking back to Sting, "I don't want to."

Tears began falling from the blonde's eyes.

* * *

 **AN**

 **We finally got to the ritual! The scene is one of my favorites in the show, so I hope I did it justice.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Burdens of a Prince

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"That's enough. She's innocent, so let her go."_

 _Natsu lips quirked before spinning to knock his sword against his brother's. His hand left Lucy's collar and his arm wound around her shoulders, pulling the blonde into his chest. The brothers' swords clashed again, this time staying held strongly against each other._

 _Natsu tilted his head, glancing at the girl in his arms before looking back to Sting, "I don't want to."_

 _Tears began falling from the blonde's eyes._

"She's my wife's cousin," the blonde prince seemed to be struggling to remain calm. "She's my responsibility and has nothing to do with this. So let her go."

"I lost the lost the assassin because of her," Natsu fumed.

"Then, do you insist on spilling blood for no reason?" Sting did his best to persuade his brother.

"I…I had only lost my way. I didn't mean to interrupt you," Lucy murmured weakly into the salmon haired man's chest, her tears soaking his hanbok. "P-please believe me."

"Why should I? I don't know you."

"Natsu."

The Fourth Prince's focus returned to his brother, staring at him in surprise as the blonde prince slowly moved his sword away, dropping it to the ground.

"The palace guards are searching everywhere. They'll capture another assassin to interrogate. She's done nothing wrong. So please, for my sake…let her go."

Lucy sniffled as Sting caught her gaze, concern evident in his eyes.

Natsu hesitated for a moment before lowering his blade and roughly shoving the girl towards Sting. She ran to him quickly, grasping his arm for support.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, but he caught sight of the blood on her hanbok, which clearly proved the contrary.

"Over…over there," she gestured with her head, "there is a group of men…they're all dead."

That caught both of the princes' attention.

"Dead?"

She sniffled and cleared her throat as she nodded her head. "They…they were wearing the same masks as that man," the blonde pointed to the dead assassin.

The brothers held each other's gaze. They had to get to the scene quickly.

* * *

"I should never have let Natsu stand in my place," Zeref scolded himself, sounding ashamed.

"He made his choice," Gildarts responded. "He did this so that he could remain in Magnolia. There is no need for you to feel sorry, Crown Prince."

"Don't say such things. I have put my younger brother in harm's way. If that isn't wrong, then what is?"

* * *

"Search the area now!" Sting commanded his guards as they entered the clearing Lucy had led them to.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The blonde girl was surveying the area herself, her eyes wide.

The bodies were gone without a trace.

"So did the dead get up and walk away on their own?" Natsu questioned her, his expression cold.

"I-it was definitely here!" shereplied, obviously shaken. "I know that I'm right! I saw them get stabbed from behind!"

Sting crouched down as the girl rambled on, examining a slash on a nearby tree.

"So they weren't already dead when you found them, you saw them get killed?" Natsu's brows furrowed together. That could explain the missing bodies. He moved to grab the girl's wrist, "By whom?"

"How am I supposed to know?!" Lucy shouted up at him.

"There was definitely an attack here," Sting interrupted as he straightened himself out. "The leader of the assassin gang must have killed off his own group to prevent himself from getting found out."

Natsu threw the girl's wrist aside, approaching his brother, "Are you sure that it wasn't the palace guards that killed them? Have you received any reports?"

Sting shook his head, deep in thought, "Seeing as how the bodies are missing, they planned this out very well."

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw, "So that man was our very last witness…and you killed him. What do you plan on doing now?"

"I couldn't let Lucy get hurt," Sting defended. "When the sun rises, I'll look for tracks. Don't forget that you were wounded. You should get it treated."

Natsu swatted his brother's hand aside, glaring at Lucy as he disappeared into the trees.

She let out a relieved sigh once he was gone and sunk to her knees. She breathed heavily to calm her racing heart.

"We've done all we can for now. Let's head back," Sting offered her his hand.

Lucy started sobbing as she stared at it. Sting glanced around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"He's always saying he'll kill me," she managed to choke out. "Every time I see him, he says that he's going to kill me!" She wiped her nose on her sleeve before continuing, "I only followed him because I wanted to return something that he left behind!"

Sting cleared his throat before reaching down to softly pat her shoulder, "Lucy. It's going to be okay."

She roughly tugged on his sleeve, causing him to fall on his knees beside her. "W-what if he really kills me? And with that man from before, he didn't even try to save me. He just told him to kill me! He must not have a heart," she cried. "What did I ever do wrong?"

"Lucy," Sting softly smiled at her, "everything will be fine." He gently pulled her into his chest, patting her on the back, "It's all okay now. Please stop crying so we can go home."

* * *

"Everything was ruined because Natsu got involved," Grandeeny remarked bitterly, clenching her teacup tightly in her hand. "We should've been congratulating you on becoming Crown Prince tonight."

Laxus sighed deeply as he brushed through his mother's hair gently, "We neatly tidied things up. None of the assassins were left alive."

"The King will be unable to abdicate his throne for the time being now that this situation has arisen. Let's be satisfied with that."

Laxus poured her more tea, "I am quite surprised that Natsu stood in place of the Crown Prince. Gildarts is also quite difficult to predict. I am sure that he was involved in this setup somehow. There is no doubt that the two have a relationship that they've kept hidden."

"And it's just as Loke said. Natsu must have learned martial arts," the queen tilted her head in thought. "The Strass family wouldn't teach him. I need to know who he's met with and what cards he has up his sleeve. If Gildarts is connected to him…it could mean that the King is also involved with Natsu."

"But mother, they say that no one ever went to visit him while he was in Shirotsume. How could he be close with Gildarts and King Igneel?"

Grandeeny set her teacup down and turned to face her son, "You must keep an eye on him. We should know what he is thinking, what side he planning on taking. We need to know his thoughts in order to decide whether we should take him out or make him ours." She raised a hand to her son's cheek, "Do not forget. Ishgar will belong to my son, no matter what we have to do."

* * *

Natsu stuck his fingers in the tear of his sleeve, gripping the fabric and ripping it further to reveal the cut on his bicep. The wound had spilled blood all down his arm and was heavily irritated, demanding to be treated.

His gaze shifted away from it as Minerva walked through the door to his room, carrying a tray full of various herbs. She set it down on the table that he leaned against and moved to examine his arm.

He quickly pulled it away as she tried to lightly dab at it with a handkerchief. "This isn't a job for you," he told her, voice rough.

"It isn't something any servant in our estate has the skills to do either," she smiled sweetly at him.

He cleared his throat and begrudgingly allowed her to continue. She used tongs to place ground herbs on the cut before tightly wrapping a bandage around his arm.

"How long do you plan on staying in Shirotsume?" she asked, her task completed. "It would be nice if you stayed in Magnolia with the rest of us, and learned from the teachers here."

"I'm not like the rest of you," Natsu started. "I prefer to live in the mountains, hunting animals."

She lightly laughed, "You've become quite skilled at hiding your inner thoughts." The princess began dabbing his face with the handkerchief, trying to rid him of his sweat.

He quickly stood and moved away from her, clearing his throat, "That's good enough."

Minerva swallowed and nodded her head, "Make sure you rest and keep receiving the proper treatment. I'll let the servants know." She hurriedly grabbed her tray, and exited the room.

* * *

Lucy winced as Levy gently pressed a cloth to the cut on her neck.

Yukino watched on worriedly, her handkerchief pressed to her mouth. "What would you have done if you had gotten seriously injured?" she scolded. "And why were you even in the forest to begin with?"

"Well the thing is…" Lucy caught of Sting leaning against the doorframe behind his wife, rapidly shaking his head. "I…I got lost."

The prince cleared his throat. "It was the people who were trying to kill the Crown Prince. It's a relief that she's still alive," he explained, trying to help the girl out.

"That's what I'm trying to say," Lucy laughed anxiously. "The fact that I only got hurt this much is like a miracle!" Her servant secured a bandage around her throat.

"Are you being serious?" her cousin asked, her tone disapproving. She looked like she wanted to continue scolding Lucy, but she sighed, "Go and rest."

"'kay," the girl immediate took her chance to escape, bowing quickly before exiting the room. Levy followed after her, bowing to Sting and Yukino as well before she left.

The silver haired woman turned to the prince, "Thank you for saving Lucy. I apologize for her always being a burden to you, Your Highness."

"Oh, nonsense," the prince grinned at his wife. "I've never thought of Lucy in that way. In fact, the girl has become a source of happiness."

Yukino's eyebrows furrowed, not expecting the statement, "She…makes you happy?"

Sting contemplated his answer as he lowered himself into a nearby chair. "This is a household with many burdens, is it not? When people come to me, they're always speaking of their hardships. They expect answers from me. But Lucy isn't like that," he smiled thoughtfully. "She steps up, saying that she'll take care of everything on her own. It makes me happy to see someone like that. It's like a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to when I am able to see her again."

Yukino was slightly taken aback at her husband's words, "I…I'm thankful that you care so much for Lucy."

Sting smiled softly at her, and she hesitantly returned the favor.

* * *

Lucy suddenly froze as she caught sight of Natsu sitting on the steps in front of her room. She tried to hurry past, tugging Levy from her bow to him.

"Stop right there," his voice called out.

"What now?" the blonde timidly asked him as he approached.

He stopped to stare pointedly at Levy, raising one of his brows.

The servant's eyes widened, glancing at Lucy as she started to walk away. Lucy's eyes pleaded with her servant as she disappeared around the corner of the building.

"I already told you everything I know about those men," she shyly glanced up at the prince. "So you have no reason to be here. I was busy running away, so I didn't see anything else!"

Natsu only stared at her, his face void of all emotion.

"It's true! People with swords stabbed the men from behind. That's all I saw!" She backed up as he slowly advanced towards her, the backs of her knees bumping against the porch of her home. "It was really all of a sudden! Almost as if…as if they had planned it out beforeha-" she was cut off as he reached up to grab her chin, his large hand squishing her cheeks together.

"Think harder," he ordered, "Remember every detail."

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"That's enough," Sting said, glaring at his brother as he pulled his hand away to release Lucy from his grip, sending the girl falling back onto the porch.

She easily caught herself but remained seated as she rubbed her chin. "Fur coat," she suddenly remembered.

The two princes glanced at her, confused.

"Everyone was wearing dark green. But there was a man wearing a fur coat. He was one that told the others to kill all of the men!"

Natsu pondered the information, suddenly remembering that Laxus was wearing a fur coat during the ritual. "Did you see his face? What did he look like?!"

"I…I didn't see his face. But he was definitely their leader. Or at least that's how it seemed."

The salmon haired prince nodded to himself. He shared a glance with Sting, his brother seeming to share his suspicions.

"Have you told anyone else this information?"

"No, I've only just remembered," she said softly. "And no one else is bothering me for information besides you."

"Forget everything you saw in the forest," Natsu told her forcefully.

She looked to Sting, her brows furrowed.

"Yes, Lucy. He's right. You'll be safer if no one finds out about what you saw."

The girl sighed, "Then…can I leave now?" She looked between the two brothers before starting to walk away.

"Hey," Natsu called after her. "Don't keep randomly appearing in front of me. I don't want to see your face ever again."

The blonde swallowed heavily as she turned to face him, "What did I do wrong? Earlier, you told him to kill me. You said that you'd even kill me yourself. Did you expect me to just let myself die? I did what I needed to survive," a tear slipped down her cheek.

Sting moved to comfort her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Natsu scoffed, surprised by her sudden determination. He started to stalk away, only to freeze as she choked out, "Is a crime…to want to live?"

He clenched his jaw as he glanced over his shoulder at her one last time before finally walking away.

* * *

"I think it would be best for you to have some light as you sleep," Sting told Lucy as he lit the candles scattered about her room. "You experienced something quite scary today, so it should help ease your dreams."

"Are…are you okay, Prince Sting?" she asked tentatively from her spot on her bed.

He glanced up at her, taken aback by the question, "Me?"

"Yes, you," she nodded softly. "Because of me…you killed a man," she dropped her gaze to her lap, "I'm worried that you might have a bad dream."

He sighed loudly, "I can't get bad dreams every time something like this happens. I've learned to deal with it."

She looked up at him, shocked. "You mean that stuff like this happens often? Then, do you kill people…" her voice faded when she caught sight of his somber expression.

"I was eleven years old," he began solemnly, "when I first took a life."

Lucy looked up at him, her face glum.

"A thief entered the quarters where Minerva and my mother were. Just like earlier…I used my dagger." He stood in silence for a moment, before moving to light another candle. "However, I didn't have any nightmares. I protected my family…and I was proud."

Lucy stared at him as he let out a soft, bitter laugh.

"If a prince can't even do that, then what good is he?"

"You still remember it though," she pointed out earnestly. "You can't forget it, so how can you be comfortable with it? It's quite obvious that you're just holding it in and living with it."

He swallowed heavily as he turned to her, "It's the burden I was born with, so I must endure it."

The girl smiled softly as she said, "Then I won't add to your load, so please don't worry."

"What?"

"I'll do my best to not weigh you down so you can live without any burdens. I'll watch after myself better so that you don't have to worry about me. I'll show you that I can live well on my own."

He chuckled softly, "You lost your memory. And now it's been replaced by a lot of false courage."

* * *

"An attempt has been made on the Crown Prince's life, and right in front of me, at that," King Igneel remarked from his throne.

Gildarts stood off to his side, Natsu and Zeref standing respectfully before him.

"It was a clear attack on our family, and was proof that we have a powerful foe. Gildarts, what are the reports on the tracking of the assassins?"

"The princes chased after them, but could catch no one alive, Your Majesty. We are currently examining their corpses, and will follow any leads that we can find."

"Your Majesty," Zeref started sturdily. "The assassins were all acrobatic performers in Magnolia. I'll find out who invited them into the palace."

Igneel nodded, "I consent." The King turned his gaze to Natsu, "How is your injury?"

The Fourth Prince glanced up at him, slightly taken aback by the genuine concern on his father's face. "It wasn't a large cut," he respectfully assured. "Princess Minerva treated it properly."

"What is the reason you stood in the Crown Prince's place?" Igneel asked curiously. "You put your own life at risk."

"Crown Prince Zeref tended to me when my face was injured many years ago. That's why I wish to stay in Magnolia, and find out who is behind this plot to assassinate him."

The King hummed in thought.

"If you will permit it, Your Majesty, I'll find out who is behind it."

King Igneel hesitated for only a moment before giving his response, "I consent. Gildarts, inform the Strauss family that Natsu has some work to do on my behalf, and that he will be returning later than expected."

"I am sure that they will have no objection," the astronomer responded pleasantly.

Natsu bowed his head to the King in thanks.

Gildarts looked over to him, a ridiculously happy grin plastered on his face.

* * *

Gray screamed loudly as Loke attempted to throw him into the pond that lay inside in the palace's entry way. He chased his brother all the way over to the table at the side of the room, kicking him in the shin before both of the boys sat down beside their brothers.

The raven haired boy hurriedly grabbed one of the rice cakes from the center of the table, quietly laughing to himself as he caught Gajeel paused in thought, his chopsticks clenched between his lips.

"I've been thinking about Natsu," the Ninth Prince started. "Do you really think that he hasn't received martial arts training? The way he fought yesterday made me certain that he has."

"It's merely the skills he's acquired by hunting animals," Laxus sourly remarked. "Don't let him hear you say such things, he'll get a bit ego."

Loke's face scrunched in contemplation, "But those weren't the skills someone would use when hunting, and didn't look like he'd trained himself. I'm certain that he was taught by a formal instructor."

"Why would the Strauss household train their hostage?" Laxus pressed, clearly annoyed.

The rest of the princes were taken aback by his word choice.

"But if you hear anything, be sure to let me know," he smirked at each of his brothers in turn. "It sounds amusing."

"You really want us to inquire about our fourth brother learning martial arts?" Gray asked. "Jellal knows the most people, it would be easiest for him to find out."

The blue haired prince lightly scoffed, "The only people who visit my home are musicians and dancers. It won't be easy for me."

Remembering Lucy's words from last night, Sting cleared his throat before addressing Laxus, "You chased after the assassins last night, correct?"

"I did." The Third Prince laughed to himself, "But, I must have gone the wrong way. I didn't see any of them."

"Ah," Sting continued, trying to pull information from his brother, "I heard that you also ventured into the forest. I was hoping that you'd caught one of them at least."

Laxus kept his gaze downcast as he chuckled, "I regret it, too. If I had been there, they wouldn't have gotten away like they did with you."

The sound of footsteps alerted the princes to the King's arrival. They all rose and bowed to him in greeting.

"Are you celebrating the New Year?" Igneel pleasantly inquired. "Please make sure to enjoy yourselves."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the princes chorused.

"You all suffered last night. If any of you were injured, don't wait, and see the palace's doctor."

"We will do so," Sting smiled softly. "Please, do not worry."

The King's brows furrowed as he glanced at Gray, the boy's eyes widening slightly as the King continued to stare at him.

"Gray, why is there a bruise on your face? If I remember correctly, you didn't participate in the battle last night."

"This?" the boy reached up to touch it, mildly surprised. "Oh, this…" he muttered, not wanting to tell his father the embarrassing story. After a moment of hesitation, he stammered out, "There…there was a fight."

"A fight? Who would dare start a fight that would bring injury to a prince's face?" The King angrily turned towards the rest of the princes, "How can the dignity of the royal family have fallen so low? Who did it? Tell me at once."

"Ah, that's…" The raven haired boy nervously twiddled his fingers, glancing towards Sting as he said, "Well, it was this girl…"

* * *

Lucy paced worriedly in front of the gate to the Eighth Prince's estate.

Levy stood a few feet away, watching her in concern.

"So the Tenth Prince is coming to deliver the punishment from the King," the blonde muttered nervously.

"Yes," her servant said warily. "It is usually carried out by the authorities. But there's no telling what will happen since the Tenth Prince insisted on coming himself."

Lucy stomped her foot in annoyance, "I bet he just wants to see for himself what will happen to me." She turned to Levy, suddenly anxious again, "You don't think they're going to cut my limbs off, do you?"

"I…I don't know. No one's ever dared to fight a prince before, so I can't say what they'll do," the servant sighed heavily before perking up again. "But the Eighth Prince must have caught word of this by now right?"

Lucy nodded, hope filling her eyes, "He must have…so there's no need to worry, right? I'm sure nothing bad will happen…" she tried to assure herself.

The sound of hoofs slapping against the ground suddenly filled the air. Lucy straightened herself when she caught sight of the Tenth Prince as he turned onto the path that lead to Sting's estate.

"Prince Gray! Prince Gray!" He paid no mind to the servants chasing him, happily bouncing on his trotting horse. "Your Highness! Wait!"

Lucy didn't look at him as he pulled his ride to a stop, a smirk on his face as he slid onto the ground. "Oh dear, were you waiting for me?" He joyfully made his way up the steps to her, hands clasped behind his back.

"Do you have the King's punishment for me?" she asked, trying her best to appear unimpressed and still not turning to face him.

"The King was in a rage when he saw the bruise upon this great face of mine," he pleasantly explained, a snide grin on his face. "He told me to beat you up immediately."

She finally turned to him with a small laugh, "Oh, why should I be beaten? You did wrong first!"

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on his heels.

"Oh don't tell me…you left out the part about what you did wrong, didn't you?"

"Hey now, do you think I'm such a petty man? I begged the King for forgiveness on your behalf in a way that you can't even imagine!"

 _"A fight? Who would dare start a fight that would bring injury to a prince's face?" The King angrily turned towards the rest of the princes, "How can the dignity of the royal family have fallen so low? Who did it? Tell me at once?"_

 _"Ah, that's…" The raven haired boy nervously twiddled his fingers, glancing towards Sting as he said, "Well, it was this girl…"_

 _The prince awkwardly cleared his throat before kneeling before the King. "If a girl who hit a prince must be punished," he started bravely, "what kind of punishment must a prince who let himself get hit by a girl receive?"_

Gray sighed proudly as he recalled the memory, "I used a line that should be recorded in history as a wise quote." He suddenly turned towards her, "So what do you think? You're very grateful, right?"

"Well, I don't know why you were so generous with me," Lucy remarked. "Yes, I'm so grateful I could die," she said hastily, turning to walk through the gate.

"Hey!"

"What now?" she asked, annoyed.

"I…I have something else to say to you," he said timidly.

Lucy's brows furrowed.

"Well…" the prince suddenly turned to Levy, "You can go inside now," he commanded, before turning to his servants and ordering them away as well.

"What are you trying to pull?"

"I'm not going to pull anything," the prince refuted. "I'm not a man to hold a grudge like that."

"Then what is it?"

His confidence suddenly disappeared, "It's just that…" His gaze drifted away from her and he nervously began twisting one of his feet in the dirt. "What I'm trying to say is…"

Lucy observed him carefully. The tips of his ears were beginning to turn red, and his body had suddenly grown tense.

' _Has he possibly…fallen for me?'_ she dared to wonder, watching as his face scrunched as he thought of what to say. '" _You were the first girl to ever treat me that way" sort of thing?'_

He suddenly turned to her, voice slightly choked as he said, "I just wanted to say…you were the first girl to ever treat me that way."

Her mouth fell open in shock, "No way…"

"What?"

"I didn't know they've been using that line for over a thousand years…that's a great line," she nodded to herself.

"Over a thousand years?" Gray repeated, confused by her words. "Anyways," he shook his head to clear his thoughts, "that was my first time fighting so openly like that since I was a child. Everyone only seems to fear me, so they won't fight back. I've haven't fought with anyone like that in a long time. It was fun!" he smiled brightly at her.

"Yes," she nodded and spoke to him as if speaking to a small child, "then come back often. We can do it again."

"You…want me to come by to see you often?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, you did stop me from getting punished and having my limbs cut off. It's the least I can do," she told him as she made her way through the gate and into the estate.

"Consider today our first day then!" he called after her, a small smile on his face.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Ah, the beginnings of the relationship between Gray and Lucy. Have no fear though, this story is a Nalu story, there will only be a tiny bit of one-sided Graylu for a few chapters. I do love Gray and Lucy's sibling-like relationship, but I don't ship them together at all so they will never be in a romantic relationship in one of my stories.**

 **A few notes:**

 **-Something I forgot to mention earlier is that the exorcism ritual takes place on the Lunar New Year, so the year is now 942.**

 **-I also want to apologize for how OOC pretty much everyone is, especially Gray. But I'm making it that way on purpose to set the foundations for their character development. Now that Natsu will be staying in Magnolia, his relationships with his family and others around him will start to change, as will his personality. For example, you may have noticed that the princes often get together without Natsu, but soon he will start tagging along with them and acting more like the Natsu we love. I'm also sure that you might have picked up on the beginnings of the changes in Natsu and Igneel's relationship during their little exchange in this chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Die For The Queen

**Disclaimer: I don't over Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Hey! There's a fight going on over there!"

"Let's go see!"

Jellal quickly packed up his sketchbook and brushes as the group of children ran under the bridge he had been sitting on for the past few hours. He'd already completed four drawings of the marketplace, and wanted to seek out a new source of inspiration. So he followed the group of children to the fight.

A large group of men were already gathered around the skirmish, cheering the two fighters on.

Jellal hurriedly drew the scene down, capturing the moment where one of the fighters jumped in the air, spinning to kick his opponent in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

"Who's next?" Jellal froze as the winner's overly confident voice carried through the air. He looked up as the man finally turned in his direction, the victor's grin fading and his triumphant fist falling as he made eye contact with the blue haired prince.

"Loke?"

* * *

"Jellal," the orange haired prince pleaded with his older brother, throwing himself in his path with his arms spread. The Thirteenth Prince made to move around him, Loke shuffling over in front of him once again before clutching onto his sleeve, "Please let it go, just this once!"

"Don't even try it," Jellal held his sketchbook above his head as his brother made a grab at it, keeping him an arm's distance away with a hand on his chest.

The youngest prince finally caved, moving to stand a few feet away, "Then sell me that drawing."

The blue haired prince quirked his lips, "Bring me a house then."

His brother sneered at him as Jellal waved his sketchbook tauntingly in front of him, "Then…I won't let you get away with this either! You dressed in common clothes and snuck out without guards to have fun, too!"

"I did not!" the blue haired closed the distance between them, whapping his brother on the side of his head. "The King ordered me to come out and draw pictures of his people. He wants there to be a visual record of their everyday lives."

Loke chased after him as he walked away, gripping his arm tightly again. "Jellal," he begged with a childish pout on his face.

"That won't work on me," the Thirteenth Prince roughly pulled his arm away. "And don't try follow me! I'm going somewhere important."

"That's such a lie! I know that you're just going to Sting's house!" Loke accused. He yelped as Jellal suddenly kicked him in the shin. The orange haired prince started moaning loudly as he clutched at the area, drawing the attention of several of the nearby villagers.

"Hey," the blue haired prince moved to shut him up, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the marketplace.

As soon as he was within range, Loke shot his arms out and wrestled his brother's sketchbook from his hands. "Thank you, Jellal!" he yelled back happily as he sprinted away.

"Stop right there!"

His younger brother only turned around to childishly stick his tongue out at his brother.

* * *

Yukino lightly tapped her finger to the rhythm of Jellal's gayageum, closing her eyes to further immerse herself in the pleasant sound.

He looked over at her as he finished his song with a final pluck of the strings, taking in her peaceful smile.

"This reminds me of the times that we spent together as children," she stated pleasantly.

"Those days were like a dream," he remarked thoughtfully. "I resent Sting a bit, for being the one to win your hand. I wish that he were more open to you."

She sighed softly, her smile never once leaving her face, "I told you to stop worrying about me like a protective brother. Sting will overhear you and get the wrong idea."

"You were like my sister before you became my sister-in-law. I knew you before Sting did, so he would have no right to complain."

Yukino laughed lightly, "He's being good to you by pretending not to know your thoughts. You should be careful."

"I don't want to," Jellal started. "Once a friend, always a friend." Her smile faded, and Jellal decided to change the subject, "How's your cousin, Lucy? I heard that she hurt her head and lost her memory. She seems very different from the little I knew of her before. Her fight with the Gray was quite entertaining."

Her expression became pleasant again, "She is a lot warmer than she was before, and she surprises me often. But her nursing abilities have become a lot more awkward," Yukino laughed softly. "That girl…she is very much like you, Jellal."

"How so?"

"She doesn't let anything hold her back. And she comes up with ideas that no one else could ever even imagine." The silver haired woman gazed happily at her friend as she continued "I would believe it if someone told me she was your sister."

Jellal lightly chuckled.

* * *

Gildarts covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief as Zeref pulled the sheet off one of the assassins that had been killed after the ritual. The smell of the corpses was strong, and made the astronomer wretch.

The Crown Prince tilted the man's head to the side, examining his face for any abnormalities. He opened the man's mouth curiously, his eyes widening at what he saw.

Natsu quickly moved to see what had caused his half-brother's reaction. The salmon haired prince couldn't help but slightly cringe as he took in the sight.

The man's tongue was gone.

The princes quickly moved to check the other corpses, finding their mouths in the same state.

"What would they have been promised for cutting out their tongues?" Gildarts asked, as he, too, glanced inside.

"Wouldn't any professional assassin group be willing to do so?" Zeref was deep in thought.

"Do you think it was Phantom Lord? Or Raven Tail?" Gildarts suggested. "It wouldn't be Avatar…" the astronomer trailed off, scratching his head, "Come on, you guys have to pitch in your ideas, as well!"

"It was Tartaros," the Crown Prince said confidently. "They cut off the tongues of those who commit murder or adultery."

Gildarts' expression suddenly grew serious again as an idea presented itself in his mind, "What if they already had no tongues?"

"What?"

"What if they already had no tongues when they joined Tartaros? I heard that there are fallen monks who receive this kind of punishment."

"Keep going," Zeref commanded, curious as to where Gildarts was headed with this idea.

"Once the fallen monks are punished, they are banished from the Holy Order. It'd be very wise for the assassins' leader to use such men. They no longer have a purpose, and have already been trained in martial arts."

"Then," Natsu finally joined the conversation, "who do you supposed let them into the palace?"

"It had to be someone with great power," Zeref contemplated. "And someone who could meet with the fallen monks without anyone noticing. Gildarts, find out who was been out into the city the most often in recent months."

"Yes, Your Highness."

* * *

Natsu slammed Laxus against the wall, his fist clenched tightly in the front of the blond's vibrant orange hanbok. He remembered Lucy's words about a man in fur coat, and his earlier conversation with Zeref and Gildarts only made him more certain.

He was sure that the Third Prince Laxus was the one who had helped the assassin group get in to the palace.

"What do you think you're doing?!" his brother fumed.

"It was you, wasn't it?" the salmon haired prince leaned to shout in his brother's face. "You're the one that tried to kill Crown Prince Zeref!"

"You crazy bastard! Don't try to accuse me of such a thing! What evidence do you have that it was me?!"

Natsu's lips quirked, "You used fallen monks as your assassins, and when they failed, you killed them all. Isn't that right?"

"That's nonsense," Laxus clenched his teeth. "Let go," he started to roughly struggle out of Natsu's tight grip.

"Was mother involved?"

The blond froze at Natsu's question. He looked up to see that the salmon haired prince's expression was pained, as if he already knew the answer but didn't want to accept it.

"Don't you dare disgrace our mother!" Laxus finally shoved Natsu's hand away, glaring at him before stalking off.

* * *

"Take this one, it's quite old as well."

Lucy smiled at the servants as they bowed to her before they passed her to exit the room, each carrying one of Yukino's hanboks.

"Yukino, where are they taking those?"

The silver haired woman smiled softly as she settled at a nearby table, "My husband is donating some food and a few items to a town that was recently hit by freezing weather."

"Oh, I see," Lucy nodded, admiring the couple's kindness. "Aren't you going with him?"

"Me?" Yukino looked surprised. "I…I don't know. The prince usually goes alone."

"You should go with him," the blonde grinned. "You can spend time together as you help him. It'll be nice." Her cousin still seemed hesitant, so Lucy reached out to grab her hand. "I'll do your makeup for you, too!"

Yukino smiled softly, "Well…I suppose it would be alright."

* * *

"Ah, so this is for the eyebrows," Lucy muttered to herself as she familiarized herself with the makeup products and tools of this time. The servants had laid out various colored powders and pastes on the table for her, also providing several different brushes for her to choose from.

She confidently loaded a fine brush with a tawny brown powder, and moved to lightly fill in Yukino's slim eyebrows.

Her cousin carefully glanced up at her, a small smile on her face as the blonde moved to softly dust a cherry blossom colored powder across her cheeks.

Lucy then moved to swipe some rose pink colored paste from a small bowl, thinning it out on the back of her hand by swirling it around with her finger. Once the paste was smooth enough, she lightly dabbed the color on her cousin's lips.

"There!" she smiled brightly. She'd kept the makeup natural, only intending to give Yukino's pale face color once more. The blonde grabbed a handheld mirror off the table and handed it to her cousin, "I'm finished. You look beautiful."

"How…" Yukino was slightly taken aback, bring a hand up to rest her finger tips on her cheek as she took in her reflection. "How did you make my complexion so healthy?" She smiled brightly up at Lucy, wonder in her eyes, "Where did you learn to do something like this?"

Lucy only laughed lightly as Yukino continued to admire her work in the mirror. This is why she had learned to do makeup. She wanted to do all she could to help people feel special, showing them that they were worth the time and effort.

* * *

Lucy felt small tears gather in her eyes a group of small children bowed gratefully to her.

She'd accompanied Sting, Yukino, Levy, and several other servants to the needy village. They had set up on two sides of the street, allowing the townspeople to come to them with their baskets so they could place various items and bowls of grain inside.

What Sting was doing here was truly amazing, and seeing his unparalleled compassion brought tears to Lucy's eyes.

When they'd finished handing out their goods, she accompanied the prince as he went to pick something up from the village's doctor. She curiously observed the many herbs in the shop as the man went to grab something from the back after talking briefly with Sting.

"I didn't know that you had an interest in medicines," the blond prince remarked.

Lucy straightened herself out and smiled up at him, "After I arrived here-I mean…after I hurt myself, I'm happy to see something that I remember." She pointed to the various herbs, "That's bombycis, and those are mung beans. These right here are buttercups, and those are galangal roots."

He let out a surprised laugh, "When did you learn all of this?"

She glanced back up at him, finding that he look impressed.

"I don't even know all of that."

"I used to make soap," she replied simply.

"Soap?" he questioned, his brows furrowed in confusion.

' _Oh, right…that hasn't been invented yet,'_ she thought. She quickly turned to the prince, "It's…it's something used for bathing. It's like a…like a…like a bathing aid!" she exclaimed, finally thinking of the correct term.

He nodded slowly, seeming to accept her explanation.

"All of these ingredients here are good for skincare," she continued. "If you use these to wash, they will make your skin very nice." She suddenly got an idea, "Ah! I should make one for Lady Yukino!"

She went back to examining the herbs as the doctor entered the room, "Here is the medicine for Lady Yukino, and this is the medicine for cuts that you asked for."

"Thank you," Sting took the two small jars from the man's hands before the doctor bowed and exited the room once again.

"Lucy."

"Yes?" she turned to see him holding a pale green jar out to her.

"Put this on," he softly commanded. "It is an ointment to help heal your cut. A woman shouldn't have any scars on her body."

"Thank you," she bowed to him, taking the jar from his grasp.

The girl moved to sit on one of the steps of a nearby staircase, removing her bandage from her neck and awkwardly trying to feel around for her cut so she could apply the paste.

Sting lightly laughed at her struggle before moving to sit beside her, taking the jar from her hand and brushing her hair out of the way. He very gently applied the ointment, Lucy watching him carefully from the corner of her eye the entire time.

* * *

Lucy hurriedly made her way to bed to remove its covers, Sting following behind her with the sleeping Yukino cradled in his arms. She had fallen asleep on the ride back from the village, exhausted after working so hard in her sick state.

Her husband laid her down on the bed gently, helping Lucy pull the covers back over her pale frame.

Sting was worried for his wife. Every day she grew paler and coughed more. She was growing weaker, too, having to rest more often. She tried to hide it from him, but he knew that she didn't have much time left.

* * *

Lucy solemnly placed a rock on the prayer tower that Yukino had built for her. She swept her arms out to her sides and pulled them into a prayer position just like she had seen her cousin do days before. It was her first time visiting the plateau at night, and Lucy couldn't help but admit that the landscape was even more breathtaking now that it was dark. The candles that rested atop several of the other towers had been lit, as well as the lotus lanterns that hung from the nearby trees.

"Mom...dad...you guys must have cried a river by now," the blonde started earnestly. "I'm sorry for disappearing on you, but you don't need to worry. I'm alive." Her throat started to tighten as tears began gathering in her eyes, "I miss you…I'm trying to find a way back...but until then, I'll do my best to live well here."

* * *

Natsu was furious as he urged his horse to go faster. He was outraged with his mother and brother for being the minds behind the assassination attempt. He should have known that they would orchestrate something like this. The two had always been power-hungry, and it didn't surprise him that they would stoop as low as hiring assassins to kill the Crown Prince so that Laxus could take his place.

He was also enraged by Gildarts and Zeref for delaying their journey to the assassin's hideout after they had discovered its location. So he had grabbed his sword and sped his way across the landscape on his own, soon finding himself at the base of a set stairs that had been carved into the mountain. He dismounted and slowly ascended them, a small building that was nestled into the mountainside coming into view.

He made his way through the small entryway, entering a narrow courtyard. Fire pits burned in the four corners, their smoke trapped in between the paper walls that enclosed the area on all sides.

The dirt crunched beneath his feet as he made his way to the center of the courtyard. If it weren't for the fires, the placed would have appeared to be abandoned. The wood of the porches looked like it might give out at any second, and the paper of the walls and doors was stained and discolored.

Natsu closed his eyes to focus on the sounds traveling through the air. He heard feet quietly shuffling in the building, and felt eyes on him.

An attack was coming.

He opened his eyes just as a man in a mask jumped from the roof, his sword aiming to slash down at the salmon haired man.

The prince quickly unsheathed his own sword and spun to dodge the attack. He shoved the man back once he had landed with a well-placed boot to the chest.

Two knives sliced through the air behind him and he swung his sword to deflect them, sending them to embed themselves in the wood of a pillar.

A spear was suddenly shot through the paper of one of the walls and he bent backwards to avoid it. His contorted position allowed him to catch sight of two more masked men jumping down from the roof. They landed a few feet away, running at him with their weapons raised.

He engaged in a short fight with them, quickly gaining the upper hand and slicing one of them across the neck. The other soon followed his comrade when Natsu stabbed him in the stomach.

As their bodies fell, nearly a dozen more masked men rushed from the building. They quickly surrounded him, aiming their swords at him.

The prince lightly scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the ensemble, "Whom among you is the leader here?"

None of the men responded, only shifting slightly on their feet during the silence.

"Can none of you speak a word?"

One of the man gave a wordless shout and swung his sword at the prince. Natsu easily blocked the attack, then brought his own sword to press against the man's throat. He paused to glance around at the group before he killed the man, his blood splattering across the salmon haired man's cheek.

"Who would make such a disgusting place?" His voice rose in anger, "Tell me, who is your leader?!"

He moved too fast for any of them to respond, slashing through them with ease. His sword swung expertly in his hands as he slaughtered them, paying no mind to the small cuts he was receiving when the men attempted to fight back.

When half of the men were dead, the prince pulled a dagger out of his boot. He used his new weapon to slice through a man's cheek, the detached flesh spraying even more blood on him.

Natsu took out the remaining men twice as fast, now using both of his hands to stab his blades through their heads, necks, chests, and stomachs.

The last attacker fell when the prince threw his dagger through the air, the handle wobbling as it was embedded in his chest.

The prince breathed heavily as he took in the carnage. There was still one man left, Natsu could sense him standing behind the doors at the far edge of the courtyard.

Before he could advance towards them, the doors were blown open, revealing a monk with a staff in hand. The bald man walked towards Natsu, his face stony as he bowed to him.

"Are you in charge of this place?"

The monk's thick brows furrowed, "These people were burdened by their sins. They were punished by having their tongues cut off. I was tasked with watching over them."

"So, you're saying that all I have left to do is get rid of you."

"Who, exactly, are you doing this for?" the monk held his ground as Natsu approached. "Does your mother know about this, Your Highness?"

The prince let out a small laugh, "This is a place for people who cannot speak, yet before me is a man who talks far too much." Natsu's sword stabbed through the man before he could defend himself. Leaving his blade embedded in the monk's chest, the prince leaned down to whisper into his ear, "You have lived off of the queen. So, it is fitting that you die for the queen." He withdrew his blade and let the man fall to the ground, leaving him there to bleed out.

He set the building ablaze before left. Its ashes fell on Zeref and Gildarts as they finally arrived.

"Gildarts, are you sure that this is the place?"

"Yes, I'm certain. What has happened here?"

"Put the fire out now!" The Crown Prince commanded the guards that had followed behind them. "Search for any survivors!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

* * *

Grandeeny was awoken by the sound of the door to her room being roughly shoved open. She turned her head to see a figure approaching her bed, their silhouette growing bigger against the moonlit paper walls.

She sat up quickly, fully alert when she saw the shape of a sword in their hand. "Who's there?"

"It is I, mother," she recognized the gravelly voice of her third son, Natsu.

She scrambled back on her bed and pulled the sheets to her chest as he made his way up the stairs of the platform her bed rested on, "How dare you come in here?"

Her eyes widened as his blood splattered face came into view, lit by the moonlight streaming in through her open windows.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Just so you know, that fight scene with Natsu at the end is one of the coolest moments in the show. Words cannot even come close to describing it.**

 **Just two quick notes:**

 **-The instrument that Jellal played in this chapter was a traditional Korean gayageum. It's a string instrument kind of like a zither, but it lays on the ground in front of the musician as they play.**

 **-That monk was kinda supposed to be Jura. It's not super important because he wasn't in this for very long, but I just thought that he kinda fits the image of a monk and figured that I might as well.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8: This Kind of Place

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"It is I, mother," she recognized the gravelly voice of her third son, Natsu._

 _She scrambled back on her bed and pulled the sheets to her chest as he made his way up the stairs of the platform her bed rested on, "How dare you come in here?"_

 _Her eyes widened as his blood splattered face came into view, lit by the moonlight streaming in through her open windows._

"Why are you here?"

Her son grinned, "Do you know what I've done for you? I made sure that no one would find out that it was you who order the attack on the Crown Prince. I erased any traces of you."

Grandeeny let out a shaky breath as her eyes stayed trained on his blood covered sword, "What do you mean?"

"I've burned it all down. Nothing will lead back to you, mother," his proud expression was marred by the red splatter across his face.

"You didn't kill them all, did you?"

"They only lived because of you. They will not hold it against you in the afterlife that they died for you."

The queen scoffed in disbelief, "Did you think that I'd tell you that you did a good job?! Did you expect me to show concern and ask if you had injured yourself?! You are like a demon! Now leave! You reek of blood and I cannot sleep!"

Natsu breathed out shakily, "I did it for you, mo-"

"Do not call me that. Hearing you call me 'mother' makes my skin crawl," she cruelly ground out. "I don't wish to see you, so go!"

The prince swallowed heavily, "I have always been curious…'Why doesn't my mother feel pity for me?' Since you were the one who birthed me, I assumed that you would care if I was injured. So why won't you ever even look at me? I've waited so desperately for that. But not once-"

"You're not my son," the queen interrupted coldly. "You belong to Strauss family in Shirotsume."

Natsu stumbled back a few steps, "It's because of my face, isn't it?" A single tear carved a path down his cheek. "You sent me away to be adopted instead of Laxus, and you continue to turn your back on me. And it's all because of my face!" He angrily swung his sword at a nearby pot, shattering it. He fell to the floor to land on top of the shards. They cut into his hands, but he felt no pain. He was numb after hearing his mother's words.

He remained on the floor as he breathed deeply, "Do you know what my life was like with the Strauss family?" The prince swallowed heavily as more tears fell, "Once, they threw me into the largest wolves den in Shirotsume. I spent all night fighting the animals, their gnashing teeth digging into my flesh. At dawn, I set the whole mountainside ablaze. I burned and killed them all in the fire." He clenched his jaw as he continued, "And I survived. The revolting stench of burning flesh was still on my body." The queen didn't even look at him as he laughed hysterically on the floor of her room. "That crazy concubine Strauss…She wouldn't let me out of her sight, thinking that I was her dead son. Then she'd come to her senses, beat me, and lock me up." He sniffled, "She'd demand to know where her son was, asking why there was an unsightly monster in his place…It could be three days, or four. I didn't get one sip of water, and no one came to check on me."

"What of it?" the queen's expression was uncaring.

"What of…" Natsu trailed off in disbelief of his mother's coldness. His lips quivered as he looked up at her.

"A mother will only recognize her son who will make her shine." She finally turned her gaze to him, eyes stony, "You are my shame, disgrace, and greatest flaw. That is why I sent you away."

Natsu concealed his face as he stood to leave, "You will remember this day…and I will do everything I can to make you regret it."

* * *

Natsu walked numbly through the plateau of prayer towers. He stared at them in disgust, displeased at seeing what mothers had so diligently created for their children.

The prince made his way over to the tallest of the bunch, furiously screaming as he started shoving layer after layer of its stones to the ground. He moved to a smaller tower and kicked it over with an angry shout.

Arms suddenly wound around his waist, desperately trying to pull him away from the tower, "Stop it!"

The girl shrieked as he pushed her to the ground, "Move!"

It was that annoying blonde again, he vaguely realized. She examined her hands with wide eyes, the redness had spread to them when she grasped him, "B-blood?"

Natsu laughed hysterically, "Yes, it's blood. It's the blood of those I killed today." He gestured to the towers, "Mothers built these for their children? My mother shouldn't come here, she should come begging to me!" He began kicking the towers over again and Lucy resumed her previous hold on him. She dragged him back as he struggled weakly in her arms, "Let go! Let me go!"

"Please, stop it! You're destroying them!"

He glared at her over his shoulder, "So you do want to die? I told you to let me go!"

"You're injured!" she shouted back.

His struggling ceased, he was caught off guard by the genuine concern on her face.

"You…you need to tend to your wounds."

He shrugged from her grip, turning to grab her jaw just like he had when she had appeared before him in the bath. "I told you that I killed people," he ground out, his face only inches from hers.

Lucy only stared at him. She knew that he was trying to scare her away, but it wasn't part of her personality to leave a person so obviously in pain, both physically and emotionally. She was determined to find out what was wrong, "Then…t-tell me why you killed them."

He let out a quivering breath, brows furrowing as his eyes started to water.

"You…you didn't do it for fun, did you?"

Natsu swallowed heavily as he shoved her away, "Go."

She only continued to stare at him, worry in her eyes.

"I said go!"

"This is that kind of place, isn't it?" the blonde started. After speaking with Sting, she understood that the lives of the princes were a lot harder than she ever imagined they would be, and she had a feeling that the Fourth Prince in particular had suffered a lot more than any of his brothers. "You're expected to wield a sword at a very young age, and you have to kill others if you want to survive." She sighed sorrowfully, "But what can you do? It isn't a crime to want to live," the blonde saw tears begin falling from Natsu's eyes. He stood only a few feet away from her, clenching and unclenching his grip on his sword. "You probably won't be forgiven for what you've done. But still, I think I understand you. How you're feeling right now…" Tears of her own gathered in her eyes, "It must be miserable."

She started walking home, turning back to glance at Natsu as he fell to his knees, sobbing against a partially destroyed prayer tower.

* * *

 _The next day..._

"I've already done it once!"

"Well I'm not going to do it!"

Lucy and Yukino approached the group of arguing servants to see what the commotion was all about. Levy stood amongst the group, watching as the girls shoved a basket back and forth.

"Levy."

"Lady Yukino," the blue haired servant bowed, the other girls mimicking her action.

"What's the matter?"

"Everyone is trying to avoid taking a meal up to the Fourth Prince," the blue haired girl explained, glancing at the servants behind her disapprovingly.

"How can you take serving the prince's meal so lightly?" Yukino scolded the group. "It's an important task. Enough arguing. Someone must take up his meal. I don't want to see this type of behavior again."

None of the servants made a move, staring pointedly at the blonde at Yukino's side.

The silver haired woman sighed and turned her gaze to Lucy as well.

The girl's eyed widened in realization, "You want me to do it?" She laughed nervously, "Look at you all. I'm a lady. I shouldn't be serving meals, right?"

* * *

"I can't believe that they're making me serve his meal!" Lucy complained, wresting with the poofy skirt of her hanbok as it was making her hike quite difficult. "And why doesn't he just eat in his room like a normal person?!"

She was breathing heavily when she finally made it up to the ledge that he was seated on. He had his back to her, his eyes surveying the valley below.

"He sure looks innocent from behind," the blonde muttered to herself, recalling the memory of him destroying the prayer towers the previous night. "He…actually looks kind of lonely."

Her eyes widened as he suddenly turned over his shoulder to glance at her, "Are you planning on standing there the whole day?"

Lucy swallowed heavily, ashamed to have been caught staring, and quickly made her way over to him. She set the basket of food on the rock beside him, then began laying his meal out for him.

"Just leave it here."

Lucy sighed through her nose, "So you want to eat alone? You do that then." She bowed to him before gathering her hanbok in her hands and preparing to make her way back down the mountain.

She froze when she had a sudden realization, turning back to plop herself on the ground next to him. He looked at her in confusion.

"I…I have to take back the empty bowls so…there's no point in me going down just to have to come back up again," she quietly explained. "So…why don't you eat quickly?" Lucy began fiddling with the skirt of her hanbok.

"About yesterday," he began, "tell no one what you saw."

She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't tell anybody about that even if I wanted to. And it's not like anybody would believe me. I can barely believe it even though I saw it myself. Besides, I have my own issues. I don't have time to go around gossiping about other people." She sighed irritably, "Every time I bump into you, you tell me to forget that I saw you. It's starting to get annoying."

He awkwardly cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes.

"By the way," Lucy inquired, "why are you up here? Are you looking at the palace?" She sighed pleasantly as she looked at the building in the distance, "That will be your home eventually, right? So why must you stare at it so longingly?"

Natsu laughed bitterly to himself, "If it is home, I should have a family."

"Huh?" the blonde's brows slightly furrowed. "I heard that your mother, father, and brothers all live there," she missed the hurt that flashed across his face. "Now that it's come up…why did you do that yesterday?"

He was taken aback when she suddenly turned to pout at him accusingly. But he didn't want to answer her inquiry, so Natsu brought up a question of his own, "How did you get into the palace bath that day?"

It was Lucy's turn to be taken aback, "Oh…I…Levy says that the chicken is the best." She hurriedly moved to grab said item, trying to shift the topic.

* * *

It was dark by the time the two finally made the hike down the mountain, their path lit by pink, orange, and white lanterns that were strung on wires running from tree to tree. They had sat in silence while the prince ate, Lucy busying herself with plucking the leaves and twigs from her hanbok. Her efforts proved pointless as more got caught in her skirt on the way down.

Lucy continued to grapple with her poofy skirt as they arrived on the sidewalk leading to Sting's estate. The basket occupied one her hands, leaving the other alone in its fight with the annoying material. Natsu walked a few feet in front of her, his hands clasped behind his back, ignoring her obvious struggle.

The prince suddenly pulled to the side of the path, standing with an amused grin on his face as she stumbled past. She pouted up at him before continuing to amble forward.

Natsu now followed only a few paces behind her, his hand reaching out in an unsuccessful attempt to take the basket from her. He slowed to a stop again, chuckling as he watched her determinedly make her way back to her house.

* * *

Lucy kneeled next to Yukino's bed, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she grasped her cousin's hand. She'd arrived home just as the woman had starting coughing brutally. Sting had helped his wife into bed, and now the prince stood leaning against a table a few feet away, his fingers clenched tightly around its edge.

"Is the doctor not here yet?" he impatiently shouted to his servants.

"Be strong, Yukino. Okay? You'll make it through this," Lucy encouraged. She used a cloth to lightly dab at the sweat on her cousin's pale face. The woman was quivering and her breaths were shaky.

"Lucy," Yukino started, her voice weak. "Could you step outside for a moment?"

"Oh…okay," the girl hesitantly left the room, taking a last glance at her cousin before she was out of sight.

Sting hurried to his wife's side to help her in her attempts to sit up. He sat across from her on the bed, "What is it?"

"Sting, please take a second wife."

"Y-Yukino…"

"I'm very weak," the woman started softly, and somewhat regretfully. "Whether it's running this household or giving you an heir…I haven't done much for you as your wife. So please, Sting. Marry someone else," tears began to fall from her eyes, but her face remained determined. "Or divorce me. I must absolve the wrong I've done to do. That way…I can die and rest in peace."

"I don't want to," Sting softly refuted, his eyes downcast.

"But you must," Yukino sighed sorrowfully. "Also, Your Highness, I know that you don't…" she swallowed heavily before completing her statement, "...that you don't love me."

His gaze slowly rose to meet hers, his mouth opening and closing several times, unsure of what to say.

* * *

Lucy sat on the porch of her home, numbly staring at the servants as they worked. She had overhead Sting and Yukino's conversation last night, and what her cousin had asked of the prince weighed heavily on her mind.

She was pulled out of her contemplating when she felt a finger repeatedly poking her cheek. She looked over to see that Gray had taken a seat beside her without her realizing. "Stop that!" she said irritably as he continued to poke her.

He had a smirk on his face as he questioned, "What were you thinking so deeply about?"

She only sighed, her eyes returning to the servants.

The prince cleared his throat, "Whatever your worries are, you'll forget them once you play." He clapped his hands, and a nearby servant moved to place a box on his lap. He excitedly removed the lid and pulled out one of the items inside.

Lucy jumped a bit when he suddenly spun a rattle drum in between his hands, the balls sharply pounding against the toy.

"Here! It's a gift for you!" He grabbed her hand and placed it in her loose grip before turning back to the box, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I brought everything that caught my eye." He began excitedly shoving various toys into her hands as he pulled them from the box, listing them off as he did so, "A top. Cards."

Lucy stared blankly at the growing pile in her hands.

"Oh, this is something that I really like. It's a slingshot that never misses. You can have this too. And you've never seen this, have you? It's a silk ball from the Minstrel Dynasty. They say that girls like them," he smiled brightly at her as he placed the final item on top of the small stack in her hands.

Lucy stared at him incredulously for a moment before dumping the toys back in the box, "How old are you that you play with these things?"

Gray pouted at her, "Then…what do you like?"

"Gosh…" the girl sighed, "I'm already so frustrated." She started to shove the prince away, speaking to him as if she were talking to a child, "Take all of this and go play over there, okay?"

He held his ground, "You should share your burdens in order to lighten them! Is it something I can't help with?" He cleared his throat dramatically as he stood, puffing out his chest and placing his hands confidently on his hips, "I'm a prince, so I'm sure I can help."

Lucy finally caved with a sigh, "Are you married?"

His confidence seemed to deflate as he slowly sat back down beside her, "N-not yet."

"How many wives are you going to have?" she asked skeptically.

"I…haven't really thought about that…"

She turned to face him, staring at him pointedly, "If your wife became ill, would you bring in another woman?"

Gray was slightly taken aback by the question, but answered with determination, "No way! I don't want to deal with the stress of having many wives like my father." He smiled to himself as he said, "I'm going to find someone perfect, and be with her for a hundred years."

Lucy softly grinned at him, "It would be nice if everyone were like you, Prince Gray. You're unexpectedly pure." She stood and bowed to him before wandering away.

"Wow…she's moving quite fast on her own," he remarked to himself happily. "Already asking about marriage."

* * *

Levy couldn't help the slight shaking of her hand as she laid the butterfly hairpin on Natsu's bed. Lucy had asked her to discreetly enter his room and place it in a spot that wouldn't be too obvious.

She grabbed the hairpin again, deciding that on top of the bed wasn't a good place. She nervously glanced around the room, looking for another spot. She didn't want to stay long, knowing she'd be dead immediately if Prince Natsu caught her trespassing in his room.

Levy kneeled beside a small chest, deciding that it would have to do.

"Clean up while the Fourth Prince is out."

The doors to the room were suddenly shoved open and Levy froze as Minerva walked in, a cluster of servants behind her.

The princess glared as she caught sight of Levy. "What are you doing in here?" Her eyes traveled to the open chest at the girl's feet, "Are you stealing?!"

"N-no!" the blue haired girl waved her hands in front of her. "I wasn't stealing anything!"

Minerva caught sight of the hairpin clutched in the girl's hand. Her head tilted, a cruel smile forming on her face. "Grab her," she commanded the other servants.

"Yes, Your Highness."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Ooooo Levy's in trouble now.**

 **Also, our first interaction between Natsu and Lucy where he wasn't shouting at her or threatening to kill her :D I guess you could kind of consider this the beginning of Nalu, but their relationship will take time to develop.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9: Saving a Prince

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Minerva caught sight of the hairpin clutched in the girl's hand. Her tilted, a cruel smile on her face. "Grab her," she commanded the other servants._

 _"Yes, Your Highness."_

Levy shrieked through clenched teeth as the servant brought down the thin stick on her back again. She'd lost count of how many times she'd been struck, but she could feel her shirt sticking to the blood on her back. Her hands had been tied above her head and secured to a pillar, her forehead pressing against the wood as she tried to restrain her pained screams. The servants had dragged her outside as Minerva commanded them, wanting to make an example of her before all of the workers in Sting's estate.

The princess herself stood a few feet away, ignoring the girl's painful wails and examining the butterfly hairpin. "Tell me, what else did you steal?"

"I wasn't stealing," Levy cried weakly.

"Then, were you leaving the Fourth Prince a present?" Minerva laughed cruelly. "Whip her more."

"Wait!" the group was startled as Lucy suddenly ran in front of her servant, her arms spread wide and her expression furious as she saw the blood on Levy's shirt. "What did she do so wrong that it warrants this type of punishment?!"

"She stole something from the Fourth Prince."

Lucy's heart dropped as she caught sight of the butterfly hairpin in Minerva's hands, "You mean the hairpin? I told her to put it in his room. She didn't steal it."

"This hairpin is too expensive for someone like you to own," the princess snapped viciously. "So your explanation makes no sense."

"That's because it belongs to the prince," Lucy ground out, her anger rising with every word that left Minerva's mouth.

"So you admit it," the dark haired woman's smile was sinister. "It was stolen. Whip her again."

Lucy glared at the servant as she moved to fulfill her command. "If you insist on punishing someone, hit me instead," the blonde pressed, her voice unwavering. "I can't give you the details," she remembered her promise to not speak of her encounter with Natsu in the bath, "but Levy is innocent. If you must whip someone, then whip me. I'm the one that told her to do it."

"My Lady!" the blue haired servant protested, tears running down her cheeks.

Minerva's sneer only grew larger, "Tie her up."

The servants followed her command, releasing Levy, who weakly fought against them, and securing Lucy in her place. The blonde's expression was void of any fear as the princess took the stick from the servant's hands, eager to deliver the punishment herself.

Minerva struck Lucy's back twice, her arm failing to perform the action a third time when a hand suddenly grasped her wrist. She angrily turned her head towards the intruder, preparing to snap at them for daring to get in her way. She stopped short when she made eye contact with a very stony-faced Natsu, "Let…let go."

"That's enough," he ordered, his voice deathly calm. The rest of his brothers stood behind him, Sting and Gray looking as if they were ready to jump in at any moment as well if the need arose.

"I'm in charge of running the household," Minerva protested. "I have the right to punish its members however I see fit. So let me go."

Natsu looked over to Lucy, his expression lightening up ever so slightly. "That girl, she belongs to me."

All of the people present were taken aback at the proclamation, and the blonde uncomfortably curled into herself.

"W-what did you just say?" the princess asked in disbelief.

"I said that she belongs to me," Natsu calmly repeated, his gaze never leaving Lucy. He released Minerva's wrist and her arm numbly fell to her side. "That hairpin is mine. So I should be the one that decides what to do with her."

"But, Natsu!" Minerva refuted.

"Lucy didn't steal it!" Gray shouted as he ran to stand in front of the blonde girl, much like Lucy had done for Levy moments before. "I…I saw her find it in front of Natsu's room," he anxiously lied.

"Gray, even you?" the princess asked incredulously.

"Untie Lady Lucy," Sting ordered, his voice resolute. "Now!"

Minerva's jaw clenched angrily as Gray moved to the side, allowing the servant to carry out her orders.

As soon as she was free, Lucy moved to help Levy down the steps. The blue haired servant glanced timidly at Gajeel as she passed the prince, something unsaid passing between the two.

"You were too quick to act this time, Minerva," Sting scolded.

"I think she did the right thing," Laxus started, a smirk on his face. "People like that need to be put in their place."

* * *

"You said that she belongs to you," Sting started. The blonde prince had trailed after Natsu when he stalked off after they had saved Lucy from Minerva's punishment. "I followed you to let you know that you seem to be mistaken. Nothing here belongs to you."

Natsu's brows furrowed slightly.

"Not Minerva. Not Lucy. They're my people," Sting remarked calmly. "When it comes to my sister or my wife's cousin…don't behave so carelessly again."

Natsu's face remained blank as the blonde prince walked passed him as he began to make his way back to his home.

* * *

"Lucy?"

The blonde jumped slightly as she heard Sting's voice call to her from outside her door. She'd been tossing and turning in her bed, Natsu's words about his supposed ownership over her from earlier replaying over and over in her head. But she didn't feel like talking about it at the moment, so she made no response to Sting's call.

"If you happen to be awake, I've left some medicine here for you."

She lifted her head from her pillow, leaning back on her elbows as she gazed at his silhouette on the moonlit paper of the doors.

"Also…I hope that you can forget everything that happened earlier today."

Lucy watched as his silhouette vanished. She took a moment to slow her heavy breathing before deciding to follow him.

She didn't have to go far. He stood a few feet away from her doors on the porch outside her room, almost as if he was expecting her to come out.

He slowly came to stand in front of her, holding the medicine jar he had previously mentioned out to her. He took her hand and placed the jar in her palm when she made no move to grab it. He then clasped his hands behind him, his expression somber as he stared at her.

"I'm sorry," she started, her voice small. "I was too embarrassed to see you, so I pretended to be asleep."

"I know," he smiled lightly in understanding. "You're still in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

She shook her head solemnly, "I wasn't embarrassed because I was whipped. I'm more upset that I was treated in that way." She quickly took a breath before continuing, "This place…is it always this way? Is it a place that disrespects you unless you're the son or daughter of an important person?" Tears started to gather in her eyes, "In this place… a person can tie up another like an animal and beat them. It isn't right…"

As her tears started to fall, Sting hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop it. However, I promise you this…No one will ever be able to treat you in such a way again," he held her gaze, his words sincere, "Trust me."

* * *

Lucy paced on the edge of the pond that rested on the edge of Sting's estate, bored without Levy or her cousin by her side. The servant had to rest after the beating she'd received, and Yukino was busy taking care of various matters across the household.

Her pacing suddenly ceased as she bumped into someone when she turned around. Her eyes widened as she looked up to find Natsu with a small, but amused grin on his face.

"You bumped into me," he said simply.

Lucy pouted up at him, remembering how he'd claimed ownership over her the previous day. "'She belongs to me?' Why would you say such a thing and create all of that misunderstanding?"

His grin faded, "Don't you know how to say thank you? I saved you from a beating. Before you start to argue about that, you should thank me for saving you."

She sighed, "You were always acting like you wanted to kill me. I'm curious as to why you suddenly changed." She cleared her throat awkwardly, bowing and muttering, "Thank you."

He smiled victoriously to himself, quirking one of his brows as he asked, "Why did you even have that hairpin? Where did you get it?"

"You dropped it at the bath in the palace. I couldn't even explain this whole situation to Princess Minerva clearly because I promised to keep quiet about seeing your face."

"Why aren't you afraid of me? You talk back to me every single time I see you."

She pursed her lips, "You don't seem like a person I should take lightly, but I have no reason to fear you anymore. However," he glanced curiously at her, "do not say that I 'belong' to you ever again."

He turned to face her fully, "Why not?"

Lucy scoffed at the genuine confusion on his face, "I'm a person, not an item or an animal. How can you say that I belong to you or anyone else?"

"Then…" his lips quirked at the corners as he moved closer to her, leaning down into her face, "should I call you 'my person'?"

Lucy laughed nervously, lightly pushing him away with a hand to his chest, "That's not right either! Let's refrain from using such titles. Please just call me by my name," she bowed to him before scurrying around him to run away.

He chuckled lightly as he watched her go, amused by the blush that had coated her cheeks immediately after he had called her, 'my person'.

* * *

Despite Jellal's warnings, Loke had returned to the village to fight. He'd been itching for a duel all day, but no one in the palace would dare to even touch him, fearing the possibility of injuring the prince and receiving punishment from the King. So Loke had dressed in commoners clothes once again and went to the street that Jellal had found him on before.

The orange haired prince soared threw the air above his opponent, delivering a kick to the back of his head. The man was much shorter than him, and acting too rashly to deliver much damage. When he landed he glanced back, feeling victorious as he caught sight of the downed man.

He expected cheers from their audience, but the observers suddenly began scurrying away in terror, staring fearfully at something behind him.

Loke turned to see a group of thugs approaching. The leader of the pack had long gray hair and a beard that matched its length. He wore an eyepatch over one eye, and fury shone in the other, "Well, would you look at that? It's the Fourteenth Prince, here, in our village." He smiled cruelly before turning to his men, "Grab him."

* * *

"Don't you know who you're messing with?!" Loke shouted angrily at the men that pushed down on his shoulders, forcing him to his knees. He'd fought restlessly against them as they'd grabbed him and dragged him into a nearby forest. But he had left his sword in the palace, and without it, he had no hope of taking down so many men by himself. So he tried to yell some sense into them, "Don't you care about your lives?!"

The man with the eye patch laughed bitterly, "Prince Loke, my name is Hades. And you're the one who made me this way." He pointed to his covered eye, and lifted the stump of his arm.

The prince just now noticed the missing limb, "I never did such a thing!"

The man laughed again, "That's true. You only lost to me in a fight. It was your mother who did this to me. She was furious with me for humiliating her son."

"I…I knew nothing about that."

"Therefore…" Hades grabbed an axe from one of his thugs, "I'll return the favor." He smiled sadistically as he approached the prince.

"Let go of me!" Loke struggled against the three men that held him as they stretched his right arm to the side, "I told you to let go!"

"Accept your fate," the gray haired man swung the axe, stopping short when a figure suddenly flew into the clearing.

"Hey!"

Loke recognized the shouting figure as the blonde that Gray had fought. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and waving a long stick around wildly, swatting at the thugs, "Move it! Out of the way, you punks!"

* * *

Lucy had caught sight of the men dragging the Fourteenth Prince through the streets as she exited the doctor's shop. Sting had sent her and Levy to the village to pick up Yukino's medicine.

When they caught sight of the struggling prince, Lucy sent Levy to get help before carefully following behind the group. She'd hid herself behind a nearby tree, anxiously waiting until Levy returned with backup before trying to intervene.

But she'd abandoned that mindset when the man with the eye patch prepared to chop off the prince's arm. She'd quickly grabbed a large stick from the forest floor and charged into the group, swinging her stick blindly through the air, "Get back! Get back!"

The prince used her as a distraction, kicking the feet of the stunned thugs that held him out from under them.

Lucy continued to swipe her stick at the rest of them, doing her best to sound intimidating, "I'll pull out your intestines and make stew with them! You're dead if you come any closer!" She suddenly found herself back to back with the orange haired prince, "Get the hell away from us, you bastards!"

Once he had recovered from his shock, Hades easily knocked the stick from her hands, grinning as he watched fear overtake her features.

She pressed herself further against Loke's back, staring warily at thugs that surrounded them. "You're okay, right?" she questioned the prince over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry that you had to get involved," he replied solemnly.

She clutched one of his sleeves, "For now…let's just run."

"What?"

"Let's just run for it!" she pressed.

"I can't just abandon this situation! I'm going to-"

She clutched his arm as he tried to lunge at one of the men, "Are you insane?! There's no way you can take them all on. Let's just go!"

Loke pulled her out of the way as one of the men suddenly swung a bat at her. He blocked the hit with his forearm, slightly stumbling back at the force of the impact.

"Prince Loke!" the blonde called worriedly. Arms wound around her before she could go to his aid and she shrieked and struggled as she was pulled back into the chest of one of the thugs.

Loke heard her cries. He kicked an approaching attacker in the chest before grabbing one of Lucy's flailing arms and yanking her out of the man's hold. He kept a grip on the blonde as he punched the man in the face, sending him stumbling back.

A bat suddenly struck the prince's back, sending him to the ground. He pulled Lucy with him, making sure her to tuck her body safely under his own as the hits continued.

"Your Highness!"

The prince looked to the blonde, his face determined, "Don't worry. I promise that I'll save you."

"Stop!" The thugs froze as an authoritative called out and the sound of hoofs slapping against the ground filled the air.

Lucy and Loke both sighed in relief when they recognized the approaching figure.

"Sting," the orange haired prince smiled gratefully at the new arrival as he dismounted.

The Eighth Prince easily knocked two of the thugs unconscious when they attempted to approach him by sending both of their skulls to crack against a nearby tree.

"Are you hurt?" he worriedly asked Lucy and his brother. The two were now standing, Loke's arms wrapped protectively around the girl's shoulders.

"I can endure it," the orange haired prince nodded.

"And you?" Sting's gaze shifted to Lucy.

She softly smiled at him, "I'm fine."

"Get them!" Hades' voice suddenly rang through the air.

Loke pulled Lucy to side as his brother engaged in a fight against the thugs.

Sting grabbed Lucy's stick from off the ground, wielding it with much more skill than she had.

It was soon very apparent that the group's skills were far inferior to those of the prince. He easily dodged their attacks, knocking some of them unconscious after a well-placed smack on the head with his large stick. He sent one man's axe flying out of his hand with a spinning kick, the weapon embedding itself in a nearby tree. Even when one managed to kick him to the ground, he fought back, expertly knocking their feet out from under him by sweeping his leg out in a large arc. He threw the stick to the ground after a large chuck of it broke off when he knocked it against the last thug's head.

The only opponent left standing was Hades, who had a cruel smirk on his face, "Overconfidence is your greatest enemy. Do you not know that saying?"

More men suddenly appeared from behind the surrounding trees, each carrying a sword, axe, or bat in their hand.

Lucy clutched tighter onto Loke's sleeve in fear. Even though Sting had dominated in his last fight, he breathed heavily and looked tired now, so she knew he couldn't do it again. And Loke had been beat on the back with a bat several times earlier, which would make it painful for him to fight. She didn't see much hope of them getting out of here intact.

"That's true," a new voice suddenly called out. "Overconfidence sure is your greatest enemy."

"It's…it's END," the thugs fearfully murmured as Natsu calmly steered his horse into the center of the group. "What do we do?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile at him as he confidently asked, "What? You're not running even after seeing me? You all are either incredibly brave…" he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Hades' chest, "or you all wish to die."

The thugs tripped over themselves in their escape.

Hades hesitated for a moment, glaring at Natsu as he threw his axe to the ground before stomping off into the trees.

The salmon haired prince grinned victoriously as he sheathed his sword and dismounted.

Lucy still smiled gratefully at him as he approached, but Loke's eyes were downcast, obviously to avoid looking at him.

"Are you hurt?" Natsu asked his younger brother.

The orange haired prince carefully looked up at him, before returning his eyes to the ground, "I'm not."

"It's a relief that Natsu came," Sting said, urging Loke to thank their brother.

The orange haired boy looked up at the blonde prince, smiling as he bowed, "I won't forget what you did for me, Sting."

Natsu scoffed as his younger brother continued to ignore his presence.

The orange haired prince suddenly turned to Lucy, "And you. You saved my right arm. I'll treat your life as if it was my own. Even if I have to die to it, I'll keep you safe."

Lucy laughed as she pulled Loke into a hug, overwhelmed by his sudden devotion to her. "Oh, our youngest prince!" she exclaimed as she happily pat his back. She missed the princes' surprised faces as she joyfully continued, "You're already so reliable and strong. You'll be a great man someday!" She leaned back a bit, her hands still resting on his shoulders as she caught sight of his slightly startled expression. She gasped and pulled her hands off of him as she remembered that just like she couldn't go around hitting anyone she wanted in this time, she also couldn't go around hugging anyone she wanted to, especially a prince.

"I…I'm sorry," she muttered as she bowed to him. "Y-you…you reminded me of a little boy I was close with back in my hometown," she anxiously lied.

"I-it's okay," Loke quickly assured her, catching sight of her panicked expression, and smiling as he said, "Sister Lucy."

"Sister?" Natsu's brows furrowed.

Loke's grin faded as he looked at his fourth brother. But it quickly returned as he addressed Lucy again, "Please watch over me to see what kind of man I become."

The blond laughed, "Of course, Prince Loke."

* * *

Loke examined his bare back in the mirror, twisting his head over his shoulder. The bruises had already begun darkening, turning various shades of yellow, purple, and blue.

"So, you disguise yourself in commoner's clothing and go out into the villages to fight?" Natsu stood a few feet away, leaning against a table with his arms crossed over his chest.

Loke glanced back at him, confusion on his face.

"I came here to help you explain in case mother finds out," Natsu explained.

The orange haired prince sighed, then sarcastically replied, "Thank you for your consideration."

Natsu quirked a brow, "This kind of outing must be common if you know people like that gray haired man."

"I just happened to be unlucky," Loke defended.

"You were unlucky? Because of you, a man lost his arm and eye, and his household's reputation was ruined. And you think that you were the unlucky one?" the salmon haired prince fixed his gaze on his fourteenth brother, "How will you handle this situation?"

"I told you that I didn't know!" Loke fumed. "I didn't do anything to that man!"

Natsu moved to stand in front of his brother, "Just because you didn't know about it, do you think that you hold no responsibility? You're a prince. Don't you know that you hold more responsibility the higher up you are?"

The orange haired prince laughed bitterly, "That's very funny. Since when were you ever in such a high position? Ah," Loke nodded his head in thought, "Are you acting like this because you're the only one mother treats so coldly? Or are you pushing down a younger brother who might show you up?" Loke's jaw clenched as he ground out, "Laxus was right. It's embarrassing to have been born from the same womb as you."

Natsu's hand flew out to slap his younger brother across the cheek before he could calm himself.

A gasp sounded out as the Queen rushed into the room. She had just arrived, and seeing Natsu slap Loke had her fuming. She shoved the Fourth Prince away angrily, sending him stumbling back into a nearby table. "Move!"

"M-mother," Loke was slightly taken aback by his mother's brutality.

"Do not go near him, Loke!" Grandeeny ordered her youngest son. "You'll be in danger."

"B-but mother," the Fourteenth Prince softly protested. Although he had been fighting with the salmon haired man only moments before, he knew how cruel his mother could be. And despite their arguing, Natsu was still his brother, one who had saved his life. He hurriedly explained to his mother, "I might have lost my life today if not for him."

"Don't be fooled," the Queen ground out viciously, her eyes never leaving the Fourth Prince. "He brings misfortune to anyone near him," Natsu clenched his jaw. "I went through it, and I will not allow it to come upon you as well. So don't go near him!"

"B-but still...he was the one who saved me."

Grandeeny fixed Natsu with a glare, "I want to hear you say it. Say that you won't go near Loke again. Say it now!"

Natsu smiled bitterly, "If that's what you want, then that's what I'll do. So don't expect me to jump in and save his life again."

The salmon haired prince left the room, bumping his shoulder roughly against Loke's as he did so, "Don't plan on hiding behind her for forever, _brother._ "

* * *

Natsu sighed dejectedly as he placed a stone atop the small stack. He had returned to the plateau of prayer towers, and had begun rebuilding the ones he'd destroyed. His mother held no love for him, but he would do his best to honor the mothers that so diligently prayed for their children.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Just a quick clarification: Much like Japan, South Korea has its own system of honorifics that are used when referring to another individual which vary depending on their relationship with the speaker. Loke calling Lucy "Sister Lucy" is me doing my best to translate that aspect into English.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10: A Poem

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"You want the Fourth Prince to live in Magnolia?" King Igneel asked, slightly surprised by Zeref's sudden request. "Is it repayment for the fact that he saved you?"

"I wish to keep him by my side, as one of my people," the Crown Prince explained. He stood in front of the King's throne, his hands clasped respectfully in front of him. Natsu stood quietly behind his brother, nervously awaiting the King's decision.

"Your Majesty," Gildarts suddenly joined in the conversation from his place beside King Igneel's throne. "Last night, I saw the Fourth Prince's star rising above Magnolia. This must have been the reason for it. The Fourth Prince's star combines with the Crown Prince's Ursa Major-"

Having heard enough of the astronomer's rambling, the King cut him off by skeptically addressing Natsu, "Your mother is a suspect in the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince. The temple that the assassins were hiding in belonged to her, and it's obvious that your older brother desires to take Zeref's place as Crown Prince."

The Fourth Prince's face was determined as he replied, "I've never shared their goals."

"Then," Igneel sighed, "what will you do about the reason you were first adopted? You were sent to Shirotsume to console Concubine Strauss who lost her son."

Natsu's jaw clenched as he swallowed heavily, "For not even a day was I considered to be like her son. I was merely a hostage. Should you not know that better than I, Your Majesty?"

The King stared at his fourth son, his expression unreadable, "Then, what will you be to the Crown Prince?"

Natsu considered his words as he kneeled down before the King, bowing his head respectfully and pledging, "I will live as a loyal subject of you and the Crown Prince. I will not be a son nor a brother, but a loyal subject."

Igneel's eyes never left the salmon haired prince as he addressed the astronomer, "Gildarts, did you say that the Fourth Prince's star rose over Magnolia?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Your star and the Crown Prince's star are in perfect alignment. If the Fourth Prince stays in Magnolia, it is a sign of great fortune in Ishgar."

The King's lips quirked slightly at the corners, "Tell the Strauss family in Shirotsume and all of Ishgar this news. From this day forth, the Fourth Prince will be staying in Magnolia."

Zeref let out a quiet sigh of relief at the King's decision.

Natsu smiled gratefully at his father before bowing forward to rest his head against the floor, "Your grace is immeasurable."

"Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty," the Crown Prince echoed, with a bow of his own.

* * *

"Do you have no appetite?" Yukino asked her husband. He was seated across from her, and he'd been stirring his soup absentmindedly without eating any for quite some time.

Sting abandoned his activity, his hand falling onto his lap, "Don't worry about me. You need to eat. You are eating less and less. It's worrisome."

His wife smiled softly at his concern, turning back to her soup.

"Yukino," a voice called from outside the door. "It's Lucy."

"Come in," the silver haired woman smiled at her cousin as she entered the room. "I called you here so that you could eat with us."

Lucy grinned pleasantly, "You guys are a couple, I wouldn't want to intrude. I can just eat in my own room."

"You've been sitting in your room all day and barely eating anything," Yukino started worriedly. "And I thought it might be better for all of us if we ate together. So please, have a seat."

Lucy hesitantly moved to fulfill her cousin's wish, watching Sting to gauge his reaction to her presence. The prince had been acting strangely around her ever since he'd come to save her and Loke, and she had no idea as to why. But the man didn't even glance at her as she sat at the table.

"I know it was for the Fourteenth Prince," her cousin softly scolded, her tone lightly disapproving, "but what you did yesterday…it was dangerous to go alone. Who knows what would have happened if Prince Sting hadn't come."

"Y-yeah," Lucy acknowledged. She turned to the prince, "Thank you for saving me."

The man's gaze remained on the table as he sighed, "I only did what I should."

"You're getting into trouble because you're always out and about," Yukino reprimanded the blonde gently. "You have no interest in our household's affairs. What about giving sewing a try? Or knitting cotton?"

Lucy smiled softly at her cousin as she nodded, "I'll look for something that interests me."

Sting suddenly dropped his utensils on the table before rising to stand, "I'll get going first. I have some documents to read."

Yukino and Lucy rose to bow to him as he left, both staring at him worriedly.

* * *

Lucy gathered the skirt of her hanbok in her hands as she ascended the steps to the small plateau where the prayer towers rested. It was nighttime, and she was excited to see all of the candles and lanterns lit once again.

She briefly slowed to a stop when she saw Natsu messing with one of the piles.

"Are you destroying it again?" she asked worriedly as she ran closer to him.

He sighed, slightly offended by her assumption, "I'm not destroying it. I'm rebuilding it."

"Well that's a surprise," Lucy smiled pleasantly as she followed him as he moved to sit on the porch of a nearby building to rest. "So, as you were building it, did you pray for something?" she asked curiously.

Natsu chuckled slightly, "Do you always insist on knowing people's wishes?"

Lucy pouted at him, giving up on her inquiry.

The salmon haired prince sighed again, gazing up at the pink lotus lanterns, "I'm going to be living in the palace now. So I won't be running into you so often."

The blonde laughed tenderly, "Well, I guess that means that I won't have to deliver your meals anymore. That's a relief."

Natsu scoffed, "Oh, you didn't have to do it that often. Stop trying to take credit."

"Please live a quiet life in the palace," Lucy began. "Don't threaten to kill people all the time. Don't glare at people like you do when they don't listen to you. Be especially careful not to draw your sword over nothing. And don't destroy something that someone worked really hard to make. What else is there?" she asked to herself.

"That's enough," Natsu tried to stop her from pointing out more of his slightly flawed behavioral responses.

"Eat your meals properly," the blonde suddenly sounded a lot more sincere. "Sleep well, too. And try not to have bad dreams if you can."

Natsu stared at her, slightly surprised by her genuine, heartfelt words.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked as she turned to him.

"Oh…" the prince hurriedly shifted his gaze, "I…I just remembered that you said you weren't scared of me." He looked back to the blonde, his lips slightly quirked in a small smile as he laughed to himself, "How can someone not be scared of me?"

Lucy sighed, "I'm most scared of myself. Not you, Your Highness."

Natsu glanced curiously at her.

"I can't even figure out where my own feelings are headed. No matter how much I try to change direction…it's not working." She looked up as something began gently falling from the sky.

"It's snowing," she remarked, a pleasant look on her face. "It's so pretty."

Natsu gazed at her as she smiled brightly, raising her hand to catch the fluttering flakes.

* * *

Gongs were struck as King Igneel kneeled inside the small pavilion, giving thanks to the gods. Queen Grandeeny, Gildarts, and Zeref had accompanied him inside, while the rest of the princes stood at the base of the steps leading up to the small structure. All of them had their heads bowed respectfully except for Gray, whose head was bobbing around tiredly. Gajeel roughly shoved the raven haired boy away when he slumped to lean on his shoulder. The action seemed to wake the boy up and he nervously glanced around.

The princes kept their heads bowed as the King descended the steps towards them, the Queen, Zeref, and Gildarts following behind him. He stopped briefly as he passed his sons to smile softly at Natsu, who was carefully glancing up at him.

The Queen clenched her jaw as she caught the exchange.

* * *

"Why here?" Gildarts complained as Natsu threw his bundle of belongings at the astronomer. "The princes' living quarters are luxurious and clean. Why do insist on staying with me?"

The Fourth Prince ignored him, walking out onto the balcony of the astronomer's study and laying on the bench there.

"This is where I spend my time. It belongs to me!" the astronomer protested.

Natsu sighed, "This is the King's palace. You're saying that something here belongs to you?"

Gildarts shifted on his feet, "Well…that's not what I meant."

"That's good then," the salmon haired prince settled into the bench, placing his hands behind his head.

"Breaking into someone's home is wrong," the astronomer began complaining again. "Is a prince allowed to do such a thing?"

"I can't see the sky from my room," Natsu explained simply. "Which means I can't see the stars."

Gildarts sighed, giving up his pointless protesting and returning inside his study.

* * *

Lucy gasped happily as she caught sight of the various herbs laid out on the table before her.

Levy listed them off excitedly, "Mung beans, mulberry, bletilla tuber, buttercups, trichosanthis root, spikenard, galangal, sweet grass, and all sorts of incense. Wow! Look at all of this!"

"The Eighth Prince sent for all of it," Yukino said as she watched Lucy happily examine the various ingredients.

"The prince?" the blonde asked, slightly surprised.

"You were looking for a hobby," her cousin started pleasantly. "He said you mentioned you enjoy working with these medicinal herbs. But…what is it that you plan on making with all of this?"

"A bathing aid," Lucy happily explained. "I'll make you a soap to wash with."

Several servants had come to help Lucy complete her task. The blonde had enthusiastically explained the process to them, sending some of them to boil various mixtures while she and the others pressed a white dough-like material into various molds.

"Levy, do you think the queen will like these soaps like Lady Yukino said?" Lucy asked.

The blue haired servant smiled, "Of course! There isn't a person in Ishgar who wouldn't like them."

The blonde laughed lightly in response.

* * *

Sting stood on the path that ran around the pavilion. He grinned to himself as he watched Lucy happily decorate a flower shaped soap by lightly pressing cherry blossom petals into the soft material.

"I've never seen her so happy," Yukino remarked from his side. "She's even more excited to be able to give it to the Queen."

The blond prince sighed, "She may not have said so…but she must have been frustrated to lose her memories. Yet, she still remembers how to do this. It's a relief."

Yukino smiled to herself, "Lucy has become much more mature since her injury. She acts more rashly, but she often says things that sound wiser than anything I could ever dream of thinking up. There are many instances where I pondered sending her back to her hometown. But now, I'm very glad that I didn't."

Sting looked to his wife as her expression suddenly became more serious.

"I want to find a good husband for her here," Yukino started softly. "I want her by our side for a long time. I want to always be able to see that laughing face of hers."

Sting softly nodded his head in agreement as he turned his gaze back to Lucy, "Yes. I feel the same way."

* * *

"Yukino, I've returned," Lucy called as she pulled the door closed behind her. Her cousin had wanted to write a letter, so she sent the blonde to get a new inkstick from the library. However, when Lucy finally turned to the desk in the study, she found Sting in the seat that Yukino had previously occupied. The prince was looking through the various papers in front of him, but when she entered his focus shifted to her.

"Where's Yukino?" she asked him. "She sent me to get her a new inkstick."

"Lady Yukino was coughing badly, so she went to bed," he cleared his throat, grabbing one of the papers from his stack and placing it on the side of the desk. "She asked me to write this on her behalf."

"Ah, I see," Lucy muttered as she clasped her hands in front of her, finding this situation slightly awkward. This was her first time alone with Sting since he had saved her and Loke from that group of thugs.

He dipped his brush into the small jar of ink on his desk and began sweeping it across a paper in front him. She concluded that he wasn't going to talk to her, so she slowly turned back to the door.

"The inkstick," he suddenly called out, stopping her movement. "You can leave it over here."

"O-okay."

He went back to writing as the blonde made her way over to the desk, gently setting the item down. She paused to look at his writing as his brush swept across the paper. Although the spoken language of Ishgar was nearly identical to that of her time, the written language was completely different. The alphabet of this time consisted of much more complex characters that she had no idea how to read.

Lucy continued to stare at his precise brush movements in wonder, hunching over slightly to get a better look.

He chuckled as he caught sight of her, "This is a poem written by Tao Yuanming entitled 'Come Away Home'. You've read it before, right?"

"Ye…yes," Lucy nervously lied, trying not to let her lack of understanding show.

Sting set his brush down, the poem finished. "Whenever Lady Yukino sends a letter," he explained, "she sends a poem, as well."

"Oh…" the girl nodded.

"What about you?"

"What?"

"Do you prefer poems or songs?"

"Poems or songs…" Lucy repeated, taking a short moment to contemplate her answer. She smiled, "I prefer songs."

"Oh, really?" Sting chuckled, starting to write again. "A noble lady like yourself is drawn to the songs of commoners. How unexpected."

Worried that she had responded incorrectly quickly started, "Wait, no. Now that I think more about it, I like poems more than songs."

The blonde prince cleared his throat, "Then…I will give you this poem." Lucy's brows furrowed. "I…feel that I want to give it to you." He folded the paper he'd been writing on and held it out to her, "Read it carefully."

Lucy bowed to him stiffly as she took it from his hands, "T-thank you."

Lucy exited the prince's study quietly, moving a short distance away on the porch before unfolding the poem. She huffed out a breath in annoyance as she looked at the complex characters.

"Levy!" the blonde called to the passing servant.

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Come here." She waved the blue haired girl over and held the paper out for her to see, "I was given this poem. And you see…I forgot how to read after I hurt my head."

"Really?" Levy asked in concern.

"I'll do my best to learn how to again, but for now…could you read this to me?"

"How would I know to read?" Levy's brows furrowed. "I'm only a servant and I can barely recognize my own name." The girl bowed as she took in Lucy's surprised expression, "I'm sorry."

The blonde sighed as the servant walked away to continue whatever task she had been carrying out before she had been interrupted.

* * *

The next day, Lucy had taken the poem with her to the pond. She paced its edge as she did her best to try and read it, her fists crinkling the paper as they clenched in annoyance.

"Ugh! This is like an alien language!" She brought her pacing to a stop and threw her head back, "Gosh, I'm illiterate here. How will I survive in this time if I can't even read?"

She looked back to the poem and smiled softly, "It does look beautiful though…it would be even better if I could understand it."

The blonde sighed, miserably muttering, "I want to read it. I want to read it. I want to read it. I want to read it!"

"What are you doing?"

Lucy whipped around to face the origin of the voice, finding herself face to face with a blue haired man with some sort of instrument strung over his back. The blonde vaguely recognized him as the Thirteenth Prince, Jellal.

"Are you illiterate?"

"N-no," the blonde shook her head. "I can read but…I forgot everything when I hurt my head."

The prince cleared his throat and held out a hand, "Give it to me."

"No," Lucy hid the poem behind her back when he reached out to grab it.

"I said I'll read it for you," Jellal easily reached around her small frame with his long arms and stole the paper from her hands. "Let me see."

The blonde jumped up to take it back, but he held it out of her reach and began reading, "Green is the willow. Peaceful the flow,"

Lucy ceased her fruitless attempts at getting the poem back, instead listening intently to his words.

"The young man sings a song of love…" his voice faded as he glanced curiously at her. He folded the paper and his expression suddenly became serious, "Hey-"

"To the east, the sun is rising." The two glanced over to see Yukino approaching them, her face pleasant as she recited the rest of the poem from memory. "To the west, drizzles persist. Though they say the sun is naught, to me, the sun is aglow."

Lucy's brows furrowed as she contemplated the poem's meaning.

"It is a lovely poem," her cousin remarked.

"It is a poem written by Liu Yuxi entitled 'Song of Bamboo Twigs'," the blue haired man earnestly explained. He looked to Lucy, "Are you aware of what this poem means?"

The blonde bit her lip nervously, "It's about a beautiful landscape, right?"

Yukino laughed slightly at the girl, finding her guess innocent and cute.

"This wouldn't have been written by an illiterate person," the blue haired man remarked as he examined the precision of the characters. "Who gave it to you?"

"The Eighth Prince gave it to me to study," Lucy explained simply.

Jellal looked over at Yukino worriedly, knowing the implications of such a situation. But the woman's pleasant smile still remained on her face.

He turned back to Lucy, "Is it true that you really can't read? You're not just pretending?"

"No. Why would I pretend to be illiterate?" the blonde seemed slightly offended at the accusation.

"The prince gave you a good poem," Yukino started softly, "so make sure you return the favor."

Jellal looked slightly pained as she spoke, and Lucy nodded softly.

"Also, we will be going to the palace tomorrow to greet the Queen, so be prepared."

"The palace?" the girl repeated, sounding surprised. "I'm going to the palace?"

"Yes. You'll be giving her the soaps that you made."

"Okay," Lucy smiled brightly. "I'll be ready!" She bowed to the two, snatching the poem from Jellal's hands before scurrying away.

Jellal watched her go with his jaw clenched, "Is Sting out of his mind?"

Yukino sighed, "It is merely a common poem about the landscape."

"It's a poem about affection," the prince ground out. "It's used to make a confession." The volume of his voice rose in anger, "Are you telling me that you didn't know?! When you got married to Sting, I-" he stopped short as he noticed the quivering of Yukino's hands. She was fully aware of what the poem meant. He could tell.

Jellal felt his throat clenching as tears gathered in the woman's eyes, "You already knew how Sting felt, didn't you?"

The woman nodded her head softly. She could read her husband very well, and she had seen it in his eyes as he gazed at Lucy when she was making the soap. She had also seen it in the way that he rushed to her aid with no hesitation when Levy had come to inform them of the situation with Loke and the thugs.

"Jellal," Yukino turned to him. "You need to finish that drawing for me by the end of today," she smiled at him gently, but her eyes still held pain.

"Yukino…"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Poor Yukino :(**

 **Two quick clarifications:**

 **-It's been mentioned before, but now that it was brought up again in the beginning of this chapter I'll explain what Gildart's means when he's talking about the princes' stars. On the night of the day that they were born, each prince is assigned a star, normally the one that shines brightest in the sky that night. Their stars are believed to prophesy about what type of men they'll become and when they will rise to power.**

 **-Although modern day spoken Korean isn't drastically different from the spoken Korean of the Goryeo era, the written language was completely different. Hangeul, the modern Korean alphabet, didn't exist yet so the people of Goryeo used Chinese characters.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11: Lucy's Response

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"The Eighth Prince is here," a voice called to the Queen from the hallway.

Grandeeny had been enjoying some tea by herself, but she set her cup down as Sting, Yukino, and Lucy entered the room, coming to stand a few feet away from her in a line. The blonde girl had a pink parcel clutched tightly in her hands as she looked around the extravagant room of the palace in wonder.

The wood of the walls was intricately carved and polished, shining a walnut brown. Gold had been embedded into the wood in various designs, adding even more glimmer to the room. Maroon, gold, and forest green decorations were scattered on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, and placed carefully on various tables.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Sting bowed to the Queen, Yukino and Lucy mimicking his action.

Grandeeny grinned sweetly at the blonde girl, "You must be Lucy. This is my first time meeting you, but I've heard many stories about you from my son, Loke. You're very beautiful, just like he said."

Lucy had worn one of her nicer hanboks to the palace, one with a white top and a vibrant pink skirt. Her hair had been done in the same style that she had had it for the ritual, and matching pink flower pins were placed in front of the four strand braid above her ears on both sides.

After all of her servants' hard work on her appearance, she was happy to receive the compliment.

"Thank you very much," she smiled back. "It is nice to meet you, Queen Grandeeny."

"Lucy has made a gift for you, Your Majesty," Yukino lightly urged her cousin forward. "I know that you like fragrant things, so please accept it."

The blonde girl quickly set the parcel on the table, untying the vibrant pink cloth from around it before handing the wooden box inside to the Queen.

Grandeeny graciously accepted it, setting it down in front of herself and lifting the lid. Inside were four flower shaped soaps, each a different pastel color. Their pleasant scent wafted through the air after the lid was opened, and the Queen breathed it in happily, "Oh my word, they're beautiful. I've never seen anything like it." She took the orange soap into her hand and examined it further.

Lucy laughed lightly, "Your skin will become very soft if you use them every time you bathe."

Sting failed to restrain a chuckle at the blonde girl's enthusiasm. He quickly got his expression back under control when the Queen glanced curiously at him before looking back to Lucy.

"Thank you, I'll use it well." Grandeeny passed her gaze over Yukino before landing on the prince, her pleasant smile suddenly turning into a sneer, "You have a very beautiful wife, Sting. It's too bad that she has given you no children, otherwise there wouldn't be any flaws."

Lucy and Yukino's grins faded and Sting clenched his jaw, "They say big blessings do not come so easily."

Annoyance flashed across the Queen's face, but her smile soon returned when a voice called out, "The King has arrived."

The room's occupants turned to the door as Igneel entered with Zeref in his stead.

Lucy's eyes widened as she got her first look at the King. His vibrant red hair, which was beginning to turn gray with age, was done up in a tight, small bun on the crown of his head, a simple gold pin holding what looked like a tiny golden birdcage over the bun. He wore a pure white hanbok with a red, gold, and silver version of the royal family's crest on the torso. A thick golden belt sat atop his hips, cinching the hanbok in at his waist.

The Crown Prince wore a similar hanbok, but in a forest green instead of pure white.

She had seen Sting wear a matching one on occasion as well, though his was a navy blue color.

' _It's King Igneel!'_ Lucy thought to herself, partially in excitement and partially in fear. ' _The King Igneel that founded Ishgar! I've only ever seen him in movies, but now I'm seeing him for real! Awesome…'_

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Grandeeny bowed to her husband.

"This looks like a pleasant gathering," the King remarked. He turned to Yukino, "I've heard that you're unwell."

The silver haired woman smiled gently, "Now that I know you're worried for me, I feel like I am fully recovered."

Igneel raised a brow when he caught sight of Lucy, "Is this the girl that got into a fight with Gray, by chance?"

Lucy dropped her gaze to the ground, cowering back into herself at the power in the King's voice.

Sting stepped in to aid her, "They were only playing around."

Igneel was not easily swayed, "The prince ended up with a bruise on his face. The playing went too far."

Zeref jumped in to the conversation as well, a smile upon his face as he said, "How could this cute and pretty girl have gotten into such a fight with Gray?"

Lucy suddenly threw herself to her knees before the King, resting her forehead on the floor and stretching her arms out in front of her. "I have committed a grave crime!" she cried out, the fear of having her limbs cut off returning to her.

"Are you afraid of me?" the King's face was unreadable as he questioned the girl.

The blonde lifted her head slightly. ' _Get your act together,'_ she berated herself. ' _A tyrant lives off of fear, while a good and wise king lives off of virtue.'_

She straightened herself out, her head still bowed as she sat back on her heels and hesitantly said, "You're a good and wise king, so I am not afraid."

Igneel quirked a brow, "A good and wise king? Why do you think that I am a good and wise king?"

The occupants of the room all awaited the girl's reply anxiously as Lucy nervously bit her lip, brain moving furiously to come up with an answer.

' _Please, please, please, please! Think of something!'_

She softly gasped when something came to mind. The blonde cleared her throat before she started speaking, doing her best to keep her voice steady, "You united the three lands and founded a new nation. You didn't discriminate against people from the fallen lands, and you even appointed some of them to high positions." Her eyes wandered nervously as the King continued to stare blankly at her.

There was a moment of silence before Igneel started laughing heartily, almost as if he had just heard a good joke.

"She's very clever," Zeref grinned.

Yukino let out a sigh of relief, a small grin surfacing on her face.

' _My high school history teacher, I'm so sorry for cursing you when you made us memorize all this,'_ she apologized in her head. ' _Thank you! You'll be blessed!'_

"I see fighting isn't all that you're good at," Igneel smirked happily. His eyes never left the girl as he addressed one of servants, "Reward her with one of the rugs we received from Pergrande."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the servant bowed and left to receive the item.

"A precious rug like that," Grandeeny began. "What an honor for her."

Lucy hestitantly smiled up at the King, slightly unsure of what had just happened.

Sting softly kicked her lower back, "Lucy…you should thank him."

She gasped, before dramatically bowing forward and crying, "Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty!"

The King's boisterous laughed resumed as her shout echoed around the room, amused by her overly grand gesture.

* * *

"Ah…where the hell is the bathroom in this place?" Lucy's arms were wrapped around her middle as she stumbled around the outside of the palace. "I was so nervous in there, my stomach is killing me. Oh…where is it? Where is it?"

An armed suddenly wound over her shoulders and pulled her into the person's side.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up, finding herself face to face with a smirking Natsu.

She slowly pulled away from him, taking in his refined appearance, "Wow."

Although he still stuck to darker clothing, his hanbok was much more lavish than anything she had seen him in previously. Its sleeves and belt were black, but it's top and skirt had a complex gray design that swirled across the material.

His long salmon hair was styled differently as well. It was pulled back into a pony tail at the back of his head instead of the half up look she was used to. His bangs were left loose to fall over his mask and forehead.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired, his voice the most pleasant she had ever heard it.

Lucy ignored his question and sighed, "You've become a completely different person." She hummed in thought while she nodded, "Now anyone would be able to tell that you're a prince."

"I was born to be one, might as well look the part. Now, what about you?" he leaned in closer to her face. "Are you here to spy on people bathing again?"

The blonde pouted at him, "I made a gift for the Queen and Sting let me come along to deliver it so that I could see the palace." He seemed to accept her explanation, so she shifted the topic, "Are you living well here?"

"Of course," Natsu stated. "Like you said, it's my home with my mother and siblings."

"Ah, I see." She glanced around them, "But, don't you think it's too big for a home? Do you even get to see your parents every day?"

His lips pressed into a grim line.

Lucy softly gasped as she saw Grandeeny heading their way with two lines of court ladies following behind her, though she hadn't caught sight of them yet. After what the Queen had said about Yukino earlier today, the blonde decided that she definitely didn't like the woman, despite how sweet she had been prior to her insult.

She moved to hide behind Natsu but the prince took hold of her shoulders and shoved her through a nearby archway, pressing her against the wall on the other side before he returned to face his mother.

The Queen caught sight of him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and scoffed, "You got to stay here like you wanted. But don't think that everything will continue to fall into your hands. I sent you to get adopted as a gesture of goodwill to that family and you couldn't endure it. You're useless."

Natsu stared blankly at his mother as she continued to insult him, silently wishing that Lucy wasn't standing a few feet away.

"You were born in the same year, but you're not even comparable to Sting. Your only talent is in killing people. You don't know anything about our ways, so how will you last in the palace?"

The prince sighed. He wanted to fight back, but now that he was living in the palace, insulting the Queen could get him in serious trouble. So he swallowed down his anger and simply replied, "Thank you for your concern. I'll use every ounce of my strength to make sure that I'm not a burden to you."

They held each other's gaze for a moment before she cleared her throat and walked away, her servants following behind her.

Natsu waited until they were out of site before leaning through the archway. He sighed when he noticed that Lucy was gone.

' _How much of that did she hear?'_

* * *

Lucy didn't want to leave Natsu without saying goodbye, but she couldn't bring herself to face him after overhearing what the Queen had said about him. So she continued her search for the bathroom, beginning to wander the palace once again.

* * *

Lucy followed behind Sting as they made their way out of the palace. A servant trailed behind them, Lucy's gift from the King rolled in his hands.

Yukino had returned home earlier than they had, wanting to rest.

"Ah, you're here, Your Highness."

"Gildarts, it's nice to see you," Sting suddenly changed his direction as he headed over to the speaker, and Lucy's eyes widened as she caught sight of him. It was the homeless man with the reddish brown hair, the same one that she had been chasing after when she first met Natsu.

She ran ahead of Sting, rushing up to the man and grabbing the front of his hanbok, "Mister! You recognize me, don't you?"

The man leaned back, trying to put as much distance between their faces as possible, "What?"

Lucy used her grip on him to shake him slightly, "You've met me before. We…we even had a drink together."

"What is this outrageous story?" Gildarts was taken aback.

"Lucy," Sting interrupted, "you've met the astronomer, Gildarts, before?"

"Of course!" she shook the man again, whining softly when he shook his head.

Lucy kept her grip on him as she dragged him away a bit to talk to him in private. "Mister, you really don't recognize me?"

Gildarts shook his head, looking at her like she was insane.

She let out a frustrated sigh and bounced on her feet, "I was looking all over for you."

He imitated her tone and childish action, "But I don't know you, my lady. I only know that you're the cousin of the Eighth Prince's wife."

Lucy determinedly continued, "I didn't look exactly like I do now. And it wasn't in Ishgar…it was by a lake in a park…and it's in about a thousand years from now …" her confidence waned with every word that slipped from her mouth, slowly realizing how crazy she sounded.

"Be careful," Gildarts cut in abruptly, his face suddenly serious.

"E-excuse me?"

"Inside the palace, you must always watch what you say. It's a place where speaking freely can be dangerous. Especially regarding the throne or the royal family. Since you ended up living here, you should abide by the norms." All of a sudden, he was back to his cheerful persona, smiling at her as he continued, "Your life can't change just because you want it to." He winked at her before walking away.

Lucy's brows furrowed. He'd said those same words to her before she had drowned in the lake. There was definitely something going on with him.

* * *

It had started snowing heavily when Lucy and Sting, with Lucy's rug in hand, left the palace. By the time they made it back to the prince's estate, there was at least five inches of snow on their path.

Sting smiled to himself as he caught sight of Lucy following behind him, carefully placing her feet in the footprints he had left behind in the snow and pulling her skirt up with her hands to avoid getting it wet. He purposefully made his next strides much longer, quietly chuckling as she determinedly kept at it.

She let out a tiny yelp as her front foot slid when she placed it down, and he quickly reached out to steady her. They stared at each other for a moment before Lucy slightly bowed her head in thanks and gently pulled her hand from his.

Sting cleared his throat awkwardly, "So, do you and Gildarts know each other?"

"Ah…" Lucy was still unsure of what to think about the man and her encounter with him, so she simply replied, "I…thought he was someone else."

"I see," the prince nodded, and moved to continue toward his home.

"W-wait," the blonde called out.

Sting turned to find her holding out something to him. He soon realized that it was one of the soaps she had made, a simple white circle instead of the colorful flower shaped ones she had given the Queen.

"I made some for the Queen and Yukino," Lucy explained with a small smile on her face, "and I have a lot to thank you for, so I wanted to make one for you, too."

"Thank you," he grinned back at her as he took the soap from her hands before turning to continue homeward. "So, do you know the meaning of that poem?"

Lucy cleared her throat and recalled Jellal's words from yesterday, "Of course. There's a green willow tree by the water. A man is happy and he sings. It was a beautiful poem."

Sting laughed, "Yes it is. You should give me one to respond."

"What?"

"It's proper etiquette to reply to a poem with another poem," Sting explained. "Will you write me something you like?"

"Sure…" Lucy's eyes wandered nervously and she bit her lip, unsure of what she was getting herself into.

* * *

"Ugh! I got it wrong again!" Lucy crumpled another paper and threw it to the floor in annoyance. She wasn't quite sure what Sting had been getting at with the whole 'etiquette of responding to a poem with a poem' thing, but she decided copying his poem down on another sheet of paper would have to do. It was the only reference she had of this time's written language after all.

But doing so proved more difficult than she had imagined. Besides the fact that the characters were incredibly complex, she couldn't wield a brush very well, and it kept sweeping out and making her work look sloppy.

"I'm going to go crazy and lose my mind," she whined to herself. "How am I supposed to write a reply?" She slumped forward on the desk and mumbled into the wood, "I shouldn't have pretended I could read."

Lucy raised her head as an idea came to mind. The blonde smirked, suddenly feeling determined again. She took a brush in hand, and began sweeping it confidentially across the paper.

* * *

The next day, Lucy snuck quietly into Sting's study. He had gone to meet his brothers, so she took the opportunity to leave her work on his desk while he was away.

She carefully placed the folded paper on top of one of his open books, only having time to turn around before the door to his study was suddenly pushed open.

Lucy froze in her place and her eyes widened as all of the princes walked in. They stopped short, too, confusion on their faces when they caught sight of her in Sting's study.

"Lucy!" Gray called happily as he made his way over to her. "What brings you here? Are you here to see me?"

She anxiously shook her head, "No, that's not it. I just had to drop off something."

"Is it food?"

Lucy clenched her teeth as the raven haired prince scanned his eyes over Sting's desk, quickly finding the folded paper and snatching it up. The blonde girl had shot her hand out to grab it at the same time, and she was now gently wrestling with the prince for the paper. She looked to Sting, pleading for his help with her eyes.

He seemed to get the message, "I…taught her a poem and told her to reply with another poem. You can go now."

"Yes," Lucy willingly took the chance to escape, bowing to the princes before rushing from the room.

Jellal furiously stomped off after her, his brothers' watching in confusion as he left.

"Sting," Gray held the paper out to him, quickly pulling it back with a smug grin on his face when his brother reached out to grab it. "Let's see what Lucy wrote."

Loke leaned over his shoulder as the raven haired prince dramatically pulled the paper open. Their brows furrowed as they looked at it.

"What is this thing?" Loke asked. Two triangles without bottoms rested at the top of the paper, and a circle was centered underneath them. Two long slashes ran along each side of the shapes. "Did she write something or draw?"

"You idiots," Gajeel started. He snatched the paper from their hands, "Give it to me." He cleared his throat and stared at it in contemplation for a moment before looking to Sting, "What the hell this is?" He turned the paper to face the blond prince.

Sting leaned in to get a close look, biting his lip and tilting his head as he examined the paper. His brows furrowed, "Well…" He gave up with a sigh.

Gray snatched the paper back and Gajeel and Loke moved to stand at his sides as he began tilting the paper in various directions in an attempt to make sense of it. "Are these written characters…or is it a drawing?"

Natsu smirked as he caught sight of the drawing, understanding it almost immediately. ' _Of course. Leave it to Lucy to do something as weird as this.'_

"Natsu, can you tell what this is?" Gray asked as he took notice of the look on his brother's face.

The salmon haired prince cleared his throat. "Raise your arms," he commanded.

Gray hesitantly obeyed, extending his arms out in front of him.

"No," Natsu sighed irritably, "to the sky. And close your eyes, and open your mouth."

The boy followed.

The Fourth Prince's lips quirked, "There you go, that's it."

"Natsu, that's stupid," Gajeel picked up the discarded drawing and held it up to compare it to Gray's position. He chucked to himself, "Well would you look at that, he's right."

Sting grinned and Loke laughed boisterously as they, too, saw the resemblance.

"It's a face laughing with excitement," Natsu explained. "She must have liked Sting's poem a lot."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Jellal and Lucy's conversation will be the start of the next chapter.**

 **Just in case you're wondering, Lucy drew this thing \^o^/ and I really considered making that the title of the chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12: Grieving Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Hey! Stop!" Jellal hurried across the porch, grabbing Lucy's shoulder and roughly spinning her to face him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"W-what?" the girls eyes were wide as she stared up at him.

"How could you do that to Yukino?" the prince ground out. "You know what kind of person she is. You know her feelings for Sting," his voice rose in volume with his anger. "Who are you to behave to this way?!"

"What…what did I do for you to act like this?" Lucy stammered out, genuinely confused.

Jellal scoffed, "You want to know what you did? He steals glances at you. If you were to accidentally brush hands, Sting would reflect on it for days on end. He fusses over you constantly, and now you've only encouraged it's continuation by responding to his confession! Did you think that no one would find out? I know…and Yukino knows. Yukino knows everything."

Lucy's eyes widened in realization. It all suddenly made sense. The reason why everyone had been so adamant about her understanding the meaning of the poem. The reason why Jellal had been so angry and Yukino's eyes had been pained when Lucy told them that the Eighth Prince had given it to her. The reason why Sting had been so eager to get a response. It was all because he had confessed his love to her through that poem.

Tears started gathering in the blonde's eyes. She felt awful. Her ignorance had undoubtedly caused Yukino a lot of pain. And now Sting had the idea that she felt the same way.

"Listen carefully," Jellal started viciously. "All she has is Sting. She's only ever had eyes for him. But if you…if you hurt her anymore…I won't stand idly by."

Having gotten his message across, he stalked away, leaving Lucy frozen in place. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as she stood alone.

' _I promised that I wouldn't be a burden…but now look at the mess I've caused.'_

* * *

King Igneel carefully removed the lid of the box that a servant had placed in front of him. He laughed happily as he caught sight of the item inside.

"I thought that it was time for a new pillow," Minerva explained sweetly from her place before the throne, "so I made one for you."

The King smiled graciously at his daughter, "I must be the King of Heaven to be able to sleep on such a luxurious item."

"My skills are still lacking," the princess laughed modestly.

"They say fathers with daughters can easily become fools. I am certainly one of those fathers." Igneel sighed as he gazed at his daughter, "You are such a beautiful young lady. Who could I possibly marry you off to?"

The princess smiled warmly up at her father, "I'm sure that you will choose well for me, Your Majesty."

"I want you to live happily, like my elder daughters. Though I don't get to see them often."

Minerva's grin faultered, "Does that mean you wish for me to live far away from the palace?"

Ingeel hummed in thought, "Why? Do you not want to?"

"If it is a place you choose for me," the princess' sweet smile returned full force, "I will be happy wherever I go. I'll wait patiently for you to find a good match for me, Your Majesty."

The King chuckled, "Minerva, how is it you only say things that bring me joy? You are one of my greatest pleasures in my old age."

"Thank you." She bowed to the King before exiting the throne room, her sweet smile dropping as soon as she was out of his sight.

It quickly was placed back on her face when she caught sight of her fourth brother taking a walk nearby.

"Natsu!" she called as she made her way over to him.

"Oh, hey," he calmly greeted her.

"I'm still not used to seeing you in the palace."

"And I'm still not used to these clothes," he said as he looked down at his outfit. He had been given a hanbok that had a gold, red, and green version of the royal family's crest on its front, one that matched the design of the ones that the King and the other princes often wore. While the King's was pure white, the rest of the princes' were various vibrant colors. But there was no color of the rainbow left for Natsu to pick that hadn't already been taken by one of his brothers, so he had asked for his to be made in black.

"Did you come here to visit the King?"

"Yes," Minerva responded politely. "His Majesty must be planning to marry me off soon."

"Oh, really? Has he chosen someone?"

"I don't think-"

"Why?" a new voice cut her off. They looked over to see Laxus approaching them, a sneer on his face as he stared at Natsu. "You don't think it's you, do you?"

The salmon haired prince scoffed at his assumptions and Minerva bowed to the blond prince as he came to stand with them.

"Don't bother having such useless expectations," Laxus continued. "It was a surprise that the king allowed you to stay in the palace. But he'll never let you have someone so precious like Minerva."

Although he had no desire to marry the princess, Natsu played into his game, just to get under his brother's skin, "Do you want to see and make a bet on it?"

"Are there fools who make bets on such obvious things? Then let's ask Minerva. Does she have the confidence to live looking at your wretched face forever?"

The princess softly laughed to herself, "I'm not looking for a handsome man. I'm waiting for a man who will cherish me. Someone who will treasure me."

Laxus raised a brow, "He must know your value in order to treasure you." The blond prince looked to his brother, but addressed the princess, "Minerva, I would treat you like this nation's queen."

The dark haired woman glanced to the other prince, waiting to hear his offer, "What about you, Natsu?"

The salmon haired man was uncomfortable with the conversation he had found himself in, slightly disgusted by the fact that Laxus wanted to argue over Minerva like she was something to be won. But the woman didn't look like she minded. He might even say that she looked to be enjoying herself.

Natsu sighed, "You're not asking me to put a value on you, are you?"

Minerva's smile fell.

"Rather than a woman of high value, I want one who will treasure me just as much as I treasure her. Someone who would not be concerned about this ugly face of mine."

Wanting out of the conversation and having nothing more to say on the matter, Natsu stalked away.

"He's just saying that," Laxus said as they watched him walk away. "He's always trying to show off. Yet, he is still nothing more than a struggling animal."

* * *

The wet snow continued to fall steadily, so Yukino pulled her stool closer to the fire she had built outside her home in an attempt to keep warm. One of her hands clutched a handkerchief, and she used the other to throw various items of clothing and accessories into the blaze.

Lucy watched the solemn woman from afar, afraid to approach her cousin after the pain she had caused her. But the blonde was suddenly rushing to kneel by her side as the woman started coughing violently into her handkerchief.

"Yukino!" Lucy caught her cousin as she began to tip forward with her hacking. Her eyes widened as the silver haired woman briefly pulled the handkerchief away from her mouth. Blood soaked the cloth and coated her pasty lips, dripping down her pale chin in a thin line.

"L-Levy," the blonde shakily called out as Yukino resumed her coughing. "Is anyone out there?! Levy!"

"Lucy," her cousin rasped out. "C-could you…do my ma-makeup for me?"

"W-what?" the blonde was taken aback by the question. There were more important matters at the moment, so she was surprised that her cousin would bring up such a thing at a time like this.

"It's for h-him," Yukino choked out. "I want him to re-remember me looking b-beautiful."

"Yu…Yukino…"

* * *

Lucy failed to restrain her tears and stop the shaking of her hands as she did her cousin's makeup. She did her best to softly smile at the woman as she applied the various pastes and powders to her pale face.

Yukino gazed fondly at her the entire time, a gentle smile never once leaving her face.

' _Lucy…You have a fiery spirit that makes you prone to getting in trouble, but you're also surprisingly sensitive. You live in close quarters of the royal family, so please be careful with your words and actions. I'm always worried about your temper...And about Prince Sting…I want you to be there for him. He has many burdens. I would like it if he could always be comfortable in his life. I want you to take care of him. Always.'_

* * *

"Sting! Sting!" Lucy finally let her sobs loose as she ran through the snow towards the prince. She was lucky to have found him so quickly.

"Lucy?" his brows furrowed when he saw her tears.

"It's Yu-Yukino," the girl choked out. "You need to go to her! Quickly!"

* * *

Sting wrapped his arm around his wife as they moved through the snow. Despite his protests, Yukino had wanted to take a walk around the estate. She gazed at everything fondly as they passed, almost as if this was the last time she would be able to see it.

Lucy silently followed a short distance behind them, her hands clasped solemnly in front of her.

"Yukino," Sting started worriedly. "It's cold out here, I think we should head inside."

"I wanted to come out to see the snow." His wife smiled at him softly, "Do you remember when I first saw you? I snuck away from my lessons when I heard that a prince was going to be in town. I followed you everywhere, and I knew that you found me to be a burden. But I still stubbornly pushed for marriage. It was after your mother had passed and you left the palace for a short time. I wanted to help you get back up with my own hands."

"Lady Yukino…" Sting breathed out as memories of the beginning of their relationship surfaced in his mind. He slowed to a stop and turned to face her.

His wife shakily brought her hand up to cup his cheek, tears gathering in her eyes as she stared at him fondly, "I want you, Your Highness, to watch over Lucy. That girl…" the woman's voice faded as she grew faint and collapsed into her husband's arms.

"Yukino?" he asked her worriedly.

She only let out soft whimpers in response.

Lucy rushed forward to help Sting place his wife on his back and hook his arms under her knees before they continued forward. He walked very slowly, careful not to jostle the woman he was carrying.

The blonde girl resumed her previous distance and matched his slow pace.

After a short while, Yukino had come back to herself and loosely wrapped her arms around her husband's neck, her handkerchief clutched in her hand. She lightly rested her chin on his shoulder, gently leaning her head against his.

"Yukino," Sting started quietly. "What you said before…I cannot forget it. You said…that I do not love you."

His wife closed her eyes and swallowed lightly.

"Yukino, I…"

"You…" she weakly said, her voice quiet and raspy, "do not have to say anything."

"But…"

Yukino shakily sighed, "I was able to…love you as your wife. That was enough for me…"

Sting stopped when her head slumped against his shoulder and her arms dropped from their loose hold around his neck to hang limply at his chest, her bloody handkerchief slipping from her hand and fluttering to the ground. Tears gathered in his eyes when he realized that he could no longer hear her labored breathing.

Yukino had passed.

He was vaguely aware of Lucy falling to her knees behind him when she realized what had happened. She tried in vain to stifle her sobs with her hands.

Sting turned over his shoulder to shakily hush the girl before he choked out, "Let us not wake my wife."

That only made Lucy cry harder, and she leaned forward to bury her face in her knees, paying no mind to the cold snow beneath her.

The blonde prince swallowed heavily and silent tears streamed down his face as he began walking numbly forward, his hands clutching beneath his wife's knees and her limp body slumped against his back.

* * *

White banners strung on poles fluttered as a man sang a sorrowful hymn, his rough voice carrying on the wind.

The field's occupants were all dressed in white for the funeral ceremony. Lucy was amongst the group of princes and Sting's servants, silent tears carving down her cheeks. They all bowed solemnly to the pyre in front of them as a drum began beating.

Sting stood numbly at the front of the crowd, his right hand clutching a torch. As Yukino's husband, it was his role to light the fire that would cremate her body. It lay in a decorated coffin atop the pyre. The sheet over it was vibrant red, a stark contrast to the pure white clothing of everyone in its proximity.

Lucy lost herself to weeping as the coffin was set ablaze, clutching her hands to chest desperately to try and ease the pain in her heart.

* * *

 **AN**

 **This chapter was a bit shorter than the others, but I wanted to leave Yukino's death as the main event in this chapter and carrying on with the story wouldn't have done so. The Eighth Prince's wife's death is one of the most emotionally invoking moments of the show and had me bawling the first time I watched it.**

 **Also, I think it's time that I mentioned another one of my favorite songs from Scarlet Heart Ryeo's OST. It's called "Will Be Back" by Im Sun Hae. It plays during both her death scene and the funeral scene and it is beautifully sad.**

 **Two quick notes:**

 **-I know that Minerva marrying one of her brothers is really strange and gross for us to think about, but remember that this is 1000 years ago and back then royalty normally married royalty to keep the power in the family. And not that this really makes it any better but keep in mind that Natsu and Laxus are her half-brothers, not full brothers. Sting is her only full brother.**

 **-Although I think Koreans may use black now, white was the traditional funeral color of the Goryeo dynasty.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13: Connection to the Throne

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Jellal hadn't changed out of his white ceremony hanbok after the funeral. He'd gone straight home and found his bottle of soju. He wasn't a regular drinker, but he needed something to drown his sorrows in. He normally turned to drawing, but the first page of his sketchbook was a painting of he had done of Yukino, and catching a glimpse of it had drained all of his desire to draw for the moment.

So he sat down on his porch, leaning against the railing and drinking his soju as he stared at the painting of one of his closest friends, one that he would never see again.

Jellal wasn't sure why, but Lucy had followed him home in somewhat of a daze. She sat a few feet away from him, curling into herself as her tears continued to fall.

"Yukino…" the blonde shakily breathed out.

The blue haired prince felt tears of his own begin to fall at the mention of her name.

"I already miss her…What do we do now?"

"I…she asked me to watch over you," Jellal choked out. "So I will. I'll come visit you. Talk with you. I'll do everything that she would have wanted me to."

Lucy looked over to him, giving him a very watery grin as she shakily breathed out, "That'd be nice. Becoming friends."

He gave her a small, but genuine smile.

They sat in silence for the rest of their time together.

* * *

Lucy returned to Sting's estate late that night. She had spent the rest of the day after the funeral grieving and drinking with Jellal, only deciding to go home when the sun began to set.

She went straight to the blond prince's study, knowing that she would find him there. The normally candlelit room was dark, and she was grateful that she had thought to bring a handheld lantern in with her.

Lucy spotted Sting sitting on the floor a few feet away from his desk, slumped against one of the bookshelves. He still had his white ceremonial hanbok on, and the girl guessed that he had been sitting here since the funeral.

She slowly made her way over to his desk and attempted to use the flame in her lantern to light one of the candles.

Lucy stopped short when the prince suddenly choked out, "Leave it."

He didn't even glance at her as she carefully set her lantern down on the floor and came to stand in front of him. His lips quivered and his voice trembled as he asked, "Why couldn't I say it? I knew so badly that she wanted to hear it…but I couldn't tell her that I loved her."

Lucy only looked down at him sorrowfully.

"For a while, I didn't think that I did. But Lucy," he finally shifted his focus to her and his tears caught the light of the lantern, "now that she's gone…I realize that the feelings I had for her were love. I thought…I thought that I just felt grateful for everything that she did. But it was love," he choked out.

Lucy felt tears of her own begin to fall as she looked at his pained expression.

Sting inhaled shakily, "What…what should I do now?" He began crying harder as he leaned forward to fist a hand in the skirt of her hanbok, "What can I do now, Lucy? I should have told her. She had waited for so long."

Lucy quickly wiped her tears before kneeling down in front of him and softly grabbing his shoulders. "I'm sure that Yukino already knew," she comforted gently. "She already knew. So you don't have to blame yourself. Okay?"

Sting clenched his jaw, "Why now?" He continued to weep as he repeated, "Why now? I received all of her love. Why…why did I just realize now?" The prince pushed her hands off him and brought his hands to fist in his hair as he his sobbing grew louder.

Lucy could only watch on as he let his sorrow consume him.

* * *

' _What will happen to me now? What am I supposed to do with my life?'_

A few days later, Lucy sat numbly in her bed, staring at nothing. Her servants had dressed her in a hanbok with a light pink colored top and sky blue skirt before they left to go about their daily chores. The happy colors greatly contrasted the blonde's mood.

A sudden knocking pulled her out of her slump, but still didn't move her from her bed. A few moments later the knocking resumed, louder this time, and she hesitantly went to go and investigate the noise.

The sound continued as she found its origin, making her way into the sitting area of her home and catching sight of a strange silhouette on the paper of a window near the ceiling.

"W-who is it?" she called out softly.

There was no response, only more knocking.

The small, rectangular window was quite high, so she had step on a chest to push it open.

A small figure popped up in her face as soon as she did, and she stumbled back off of the chest with a tiny shriek.

Once she had steadied herself on her feet she looked back up at the window, realizing that the small figure was what looked like a fairly well made cloth puppet version of herself.

"Oh my!" a high pitched voice called out as the puppet bounced. "Those men with no clothes on are the princes!"

Her eyes rolled as a second puppet came into view, this one a puppet version of Gray. She'd had her suspicions when she heard the clearly altered voice before, but she should have known immediately that he would be behind something as ridiculous as this.

The prince cleared his throat and his voice returned to normal as he moved his puppet, "You indecent girl. You need to be punished." He swung his puppet so that its arm hit her puppet in the face.

Lucy sighed irritably, "What is this? Are you making fun of me?"

Gray didn't reply from outside. He only continued the show, resuming his Lucy voice as he said, "What's so great about being a prince?" With a high pitched yelp he rammed the puppet Lucy's head into his puppet's head.

"Hey!" he cried out in his normal voice and smashed both puppets together, his fingers moving inside of them to wrap their arms around each other. "Let go!"

The prince repeated that phrase multiple times, shifting his voice back and forth with every repetition.

Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at his childishness.

Gray briefly peaked through the window, smiling brightly when he caught sight of her softly laughing.

His face disappeared from sight as he continued his act, crying in his own voice, "How impudent!"

The prince shifted to his Lucy voice and shouted, "Impudent! Yeah right!"

Gray's puppet extended it arm out to hit puppet Lucy, "How dare you speak that way to a prince?"

Her puppet smacked into his again, "You dare to hit a girl?"

"You're as tiny as a grain of rice!"

Lucy grinned as she recalled his strange insult.

The puppets resumed their wrestling. But suddenly, Gray's cries sounded very real and his hands, with the puppets still on them, began flailing around in the air.

Lucy quickly rushed outside when she heard a loud thump.

She arrived just in time to see Gray clumsily rolling off one of his servants who laid on the porch to land on another on the ground that had fruitlessly tried to catch the prince. He must have been standing on one of his servants' backs to reach the high window and lost balance.

Lucy giggled as she watched the humorous display, "What are you doing?"

Gray hurriedly scurried to a standing position as she walked over to him.

The blonde reached out and began examining the cloth puppet version of herself, "Where did you get the idea to do a puppet show? I'm a little bit touched," she laughed. She gave him a thumbs up, "Your Highness, you're awesome."

The prince gave her a bright smile, "I'm relieved to hear that you enjoyed it. I thought you might be feeling down since my sister-in-law's death. By the way," he rested her puppet in the crook of his arm and withdrew his hand to imitate her thumbs up, "what's this?"

"It's meant to tell you that you're awesome. Or the best," she explained simply. "The thumb is the head of the five fingers."

He suddenly looked serious and grabbed her hand to shove her thumb down, "That's not right!"

The blonde's brows slightly furrowed.

"There is the mighty king, so how could I be the best…" He then put up only his index finger, a smug grin gracing his lips, "Maybe I could be this."

Lucy laughed at his creativity, but mimicked his hand shape, "This one is good, too." They lightly bumped their hands together. "Tenth Prince, you were really awesome today," she pleasantly remarked. "I was able to laugh and smile, thanks to you."

He smirked at her, "Man, it's too bad that I'm the only awesome person in your life."

Lucy giggled again.

* * *

"Brothers!" Gray called as he excitedly ran into the room where the rest of the princes had agreed to meet. "Have you heard that the southern people of later Bosco have arrived in Magnolia? His Majesty has said that he will be giving each household a plot of farmland."

"It's for Ishgar's sake that His Majesty is embracing them," Sting remarked.

"Well," Laxus smirked, "it's only a matter of time until a nation falls." He looked to his thirteenth brother, "Just take a look at Jellal's grandfather. The once great King of Seven is forced to serve His Majesty and can't even set foot inside the palace. You could call his relative a 'beggar' of sorts."

Jellal glared at him and made to talk back, but Natsu beat him to it.

"Why speak so high and mighty when you're doing the same and merely serving a master?"

"What?" Laxus viciously ground out.

Natsu quirked his lips, "Whether you give to the poor or feed the dogs, you can't even make a squeak in front of your master. So that's enough of the arrogant talk." Laxus clenched his jaw as the salmon haired prince stood to face him, "If you're resigned to that way of life, it's better to be drinking instead."

The Fourth Prince started to make his way past the other princes, briefly pausing to turn to his thirteenth brother, "Ah, Jellal. Would you like to come with me for a drink?"

The blue haired prince took in a breath, quickly catching on and realizing that his brother was giving him an escape route, "Of course, Natsu."

The two quickly made their way out of the room. Once they were a good distance down the porch of the building, Jellal turned his brother, "Thank you, Natsu."

"No need to feel grateful since I wasn't really going out of my way to help you," the salmon haired prince remarked. "I simply hate seeing the strong stamp on someone they believe to be weaker than them. Besides, we're kind of the same, aren't we? That tattoo on your face is a mark of your ancestors from Seven and I have my scar. Neither of us had a choice to be marked in this way, but people still make assumptions about us because of them."

The Thirteenth Prince grinned at him, "But I'm still thankful that you stood up for me. Being the second youngest prince, I would have gotten in serious trouble if I had talked back to our elder brother."

The two continued to walk together, making light conversation as they went.

* * *

"Time goes by so fast," Lucy said as cleared some stray strands of grass from Yukino's grave. She had been buried in the royal cemetery, which rested on a small hillside on the edge of Magnolia. "I suppose that I've already been in Ishgar for quite a long time. At first I wondered if I could even survive here. It wasn't so bad after a while…but will I have to live the rest of my life here?" She placed a small bouquet of yellow daylilies on the ground in front of the gravestone, "There were so many times I wanted to tell you all of this, Yukino. I'm sorry for being a burden to you. And…thank you. For everything."

"Lucy!" A voice called to her. She turned to find Jellal and Loke walking up the path to the cemetery, the younger of the two waving enthusiastically in greeting.

The blonde waved back with a pleasant smile.

Lucy walked back to her estate with the two princes, Loke energetically recounting their run in with the thugs, "Oh man…you were so awesome that day."

"Ah, Minerva," Jellal greeted the princess who approached them soon after they had entered the estate. The three bowed to her as he asked, "Have you been well?"

The dark haired woman nodded and smiled sweetly, "Where are you all coming from?"

"We went to visit our sister-in-law," the blue haired prince explained.

"She must have been happy." The princess turned her gaze to Lucy, "I have good news for you. You will be getting married."

"M-married? Me?" Lucy's eyes widened and Jellal and Loke glanced at each other worriedly, their brows knit with concern.

* * *

"How could they do this to her? Yukino has just passed away…" Jellal had gone to inform Natsu of the situation, and the pink haired prince now followed behind him in his hurried walking.

"And why did you feel the need to tell me all this?"

The Fourth's Prince's question brought Jellal to halt and he turned to face his brother.

"I mean…it's not too out of the ordinary. She's of marrying age, isn't she?"

"I told you so that you could help us oppose the marriage!" the blue haired prince angrily explained.

Natsu quirked a brow, seeming somewhat uninterested, "The Heartfilia Household arranged the marriage for her, correct? So we have no right to try and stop it."

"Brothers!" the call drew their attention to the side, and they caught sight of Gray and Loke rushing their way.

The raven haired prince looked to Jellal, his concern clear on his face, "Is it true that Lucy is getting married?"

A worried Loke suddenly cut in, "Gray heard somewhere that the man she's marrying is over sixty with many, many sons. Supposedly he made the offer to make up for the mistreatment of the Heartfilias. "

"If that's true," Jellal's eyes widened, "then this is no marriage. She's basically being sold!"

"What did you just say?" Sting asked as he made his way to the group, his expression showing his unease. "What kind of home is Lucy going to?"

Gray suddenly stomped over to the blonde prince, "Sting, how could you let Lucy be treated this way?"

Loke came to stand in front of him as well, "Selling Lucy away like this is dishonorable!"

Sting sat in silent contemplation for a moment before he looked around at the group of princes, "I need you all to help me."

* * *

Lucy sat numbly in a chair as a crying Levy packed away some of her belongings in a parcel. The blonde was running over her current situation in her head, thinking of possible escape routes. There was no way to talk her family out of giving her away. The only people that had a chance of doing that were Minerva and Sting, but she hadn't seen the prince all day and the princess hated her guts. Lucy would even go as far as saying that Minerva seemed excited to have her out of their house.

That left only one option. She would have to run away.

"Levy!" the blonde shot out of her chair with newfound determination, "I want to leave."

The servant was taken aback, "W-what?"

"How can I marry a man that I've never met? Yukino wouldn't have wanted me to marry in this way!" Lucy moved to grab the parcel that her servant had been filling, "Give me that! I have to run!"

Levy hesitated for a moment before shoving the rest of Lucy's belongings into the parcel, "Yes, go! Please, go!" She thrust the package into the blonde's arms, "Even if I get beaten to death, I won't tell them where you went, My Lady!"

"Levy…" Lucy felt tears gather in her eyes at her servant's loyalty.

The two were startled when Gray suddenly shoved a window open, the same one that he had used for his puppet show only the day before. He stuck his head through it and beckoned the blonde girl with his hand, "Lucy! Hurry up and come out!" His face was the most serious either of the girls had ever seen it.

As soon as the blonde was out the door, Gray grabbed her hand and started running through the estate. Lucy did her best to keep up with him, the skirt of her rose pink hanbok gathered in her free hand. It didn't take the girl long to realize that he was helping her escape.

The two slid to a halt when they caught sight of a pair of the estate's guards patrolling the perimeter a short distance away.

Before the guards could spot them, a hand suddenly shot out and fisted in the back of Gray's hanbok, pulling him and subsequently Lucy behind a nearby wall. The pair looked to Jellal thankfully before running off in a new direction, leaving the blue haired prince behind so he could make sure the guards didn't follow.

Gray dragged Lucy to a gate that rested on the side of the estate, one that was primarily used by servants for bringing goods into the household.

Sting and Loke waited on the other side with two horses. The blond prince quickly moved to wrap a blush pink cloak around the girl's shoulders.

Lucy looked up to him, her brows knit with concern, "Is it okay for you guys to be doing this?"

His lips pressed into a grim line as he pulled the hood of the cloak over her head, "I can't send you away like this. I promised Yukino I would watch out for you, so that's what I'm going to do."

* * *

Minerva waited patiently at the front gate of her brother's estate. Lucy had been annoying her for years and she didn't want to miss the moment when she would finally be whisked away forever.

The blonde's future husband had already sent his men with the palanquin to transport her. They stood waiting just inside the gate, and Minerva found pleasure in envisioning them carrying Lucy away, never to return again.

She was pulled out of her imagination when two horses suddenly galloped down the road a short distance in front of the gate, disappearing from sight just as quickly as they had appeared. Minerva easily recognized Sting and Loke as two of the riders, and the figure in the blush pink cloak seated in front of the blond prince could only be one person.

She should have known that they would pull something like this.

The princess sneered as she turned to shout at the guards stationed at the gate, "Follow them! Now!"

* * *

Minerva and the guards quickly caught up to her brothers, their horses charging at full speed through the foggy forest. "Stop, Sting!"

The princess was slightly caught off guard when the princes obeyed her command and brought their steeds to a halt.

The group of guards quickly surrounded Loke and Sting, and the younger of the two glared at them.

"Sting!" Minerva called as she pulled her horse to a stop beside her older brother's.

"Oh, Minerva," the blonde prince remarked with a forced smile on his face as he used a hand to push the cloaked figure's head down. "What is it? Has something happened at home?"

The princess only reached down to yank at the blush pink cloak in an attempt to pull it off. The figure held fast to it for a moment before they suddenly popped their head out, "Peek-a-boo!"

Minerva couldn't help but draw back in shock when it was Gray's face that greeted her rather than Lucy's. The raven haired prince and his orange haired brother laughed heartily at the startled look on her face.

The princess was seething with anger, turning to furiously yell at the guards, "Search the other paths. Now!"

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but feel afraid as the man behind her continued to steer his horse at full speed on the misty path through the trees, Jellal on his own steed and following a short distance behind them. She glanced at the arms that wound around her to grasp the reins before tentatively looking over her shoulder and into the face of the partially masked horseman.

The blonde swallowed, "Natsu, I didn't think that you would help me, too."

The salmon haired prince quirked his lips as he quickly glanced down at her before focusing on the road again, "I've lived enough of my life being controlled by others. I won't stand by and let it happen to anyone else." One of his hands let go of the reins and his now free arm wrapped around her waist, "And for some reason, I really don't like the idea of it happening to you."

Lucy quickly turned her gaze forward as she felt her cheeks grow warm at his words.

They continued on for a bit before they spotted Gildarts calmly riding into their path a short distance ahead, a group of palace guards carrying a palanquin following behind him.

Natsu and Jellal pulled their horses to a stop, staring warily at the men in front of them.

In the silence that followed they were able to hear more horses approaching. Sting, Loke, Gray, and Minerva soon rode up the path behind Natsu and Jellal. They each came to a halt as well, taking in the sight before them with confusion on their faces.

Gildarts dismounted and made his way to bow in front of the group of royal heirs, "Greetings to you all."

"What brings you out here," Jellal pressed, "and with the royal guards, at that?"

The astronomer turned his gaze to girl seated in front of Natsu, "Is that not Lady Lucy from the Eighth Prince's home?"

The blonde ducked her head and tried to sink back into the salmon haired prince.

Gildarts sighed solemnly, "You're going to have to come with me."

Natsu raised a brow, "Why do you need her? Did the person who is to marry her ask you for a favor?"

"Gildarts," Jellal pleaded softly. "Please, look the other way. Just this once. How could she marry into a household like that? Don't you feel bad for her?"

The astronomer's lips formed a grim line, "An order has been given for Lady Lucy to be brought to the palace."

All of the princes were taken aback by the statement. Even Minerva's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Sting pressed. He took in the royal guards and the palanquin behind Gildarts, a sudden realization occurring to him, "That's…it's not possible…she can't be…"

The astronomer inhaled deeply before declaring, "It has been confirmed that the King will marry Lady Lucy. I have come to take her to the palace."

There was immediate unrest among the group of royal heirs and Lucy clutched desperately at the hand Natsu had wrapped around her waist.

Sting shook his head in denial, "T-there's…there's no way. You must be mistaken!"

"It was sudden," Gildarts solemnly nodded his head. "But it is certain that Lady Lucy of the Heartfilia clan is to be married to the King."

Natsu leaned down by the blonde's ear, "Have you heard anything about this?"

"No," Lucy shook her head anxiously, "not at all."

"Okay then. Don't get off. Just wait and let us handle it."

Gildarts noticed the quiet exchange, and somberly explained, "Since Lady Yukino has passed away, the Heartfilia Household is no longer related to Sting. So the family has given Lady Lucy to the King as a Royal Concubine in order to maintain their connection to the throne." The astronomer had a sour look on his face as he delivered the message, almost as if he wasn't pleased with the situation either.

"Why weren't we told earlier that she would be marrying the King?" Loke asked angrily. "Were you afraid we would stop the marriage if we knew about it?"

Gildarts ignored the questions, instead turning to nod to two of the guards. The pair moved to take Lucy from the Fourth Prince's horse.

"Stand down," Natsu commanded, glaring at them as he tightened his grip around the blonde.

Gildarts sighed, "You know what will happen if you refuse a royal command."

"Just let her go, Natsu," Minerva shouted. "How can you refuse an order from the King? All of our brothers will die because they tried to help her!"

Lucy's brows knit with concern and she glanced around at all of the princes. They were all looking at either her or the guards, different mixtures of worry and anger on their faces. They may not have known it, but they went against a royal command for her. They risked their lives to help her escape. She wanted to do everything she could to prevent them from suffering because of her. Even if that meant handing herself over to these guards.

Lucy moved to dismount, Natsu's grip tightening to keep her in place.

"I told you not to move."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, "I…I think I have to go."

"Once you enter the palace, it is likely that you will never be able to leave," Natsu warned.

Lucy looked around at the princes again, smiling bitterly, "I must go. That's the only way that none of you get hurt."

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw as he dismounted, holding his arms up to help Lucy do the same. He took hold of her waist as she slid off of the saddle, moving to grip her shoulders once she was on her feet, "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

"Don't worry," Lucy did her best to smile up at him in reassurance. "I'll be fine."

She walked away from him after that, taking the cloak from her shoulders and setting it in Sting's loose grip before letting the guards escort her towards the palanquin. She sat inside, smiling at each of the prince's in turn before the open side was dropped back into place, blocking her from their view.

Gildarts turned to the guards as the palanquin was lifted from the ground by four men, "Back to the palace!"

The princes watched solemnly as the group disappeared from sight.

"That dumb girl," Natsu ground out to himself.

Loke turned to Gray, "'A man over sixty with many sons'? It was the king, you idiot!" The raven haired prince jumped at his brother's sudden increase in volume.

The raven haired prince pouted, "Does…does this mean that Lucy is going to be like our mom?"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Alrighty, some points of clarificaiton:**

 **-This was said in the fic, but I'll write it in simpler terms: the Heartfilia family is giving Lucy to the king as a Royal Concubine, (which means she wouldn't be considered a queen) because they want to maintain their connection to the throne now that Yukino has passed away. Igneel's reason for agreeing to this proposition will be revealed in coming chapters.**

 **-A palanquin is basically a box big enough for a person to sit inside that has two long poles connected to either the top or the bottom that generally four to six men use to lift the box. It was used for transporting important people.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14: For Ishgar's Sake

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy hugged her knees into her chest, her courage having disappeared on the journey from the forest. She couldn't see anything from inside the palanquin, but she knew that they were inside the walls of the palace now. She had heard Gildarts talking to the guards at the gate.

' _I'll…I'll be able to find my way out of this, right?'_ She placed a hand on her chest to rub away the tightness that had gathered there, ' _Just keep your head on straight. Don't panic. You have to get through this. You have to survive.'_

* * *

Aquarius slowly roamed the entryway of the Damiwon Palace, skeptically glaring at any of her court ladies who incorrectly performed their tasks. The King had trusted her to advise the palace's servants, and she'd be damned if she let any of them mess up on her watch.

"Courty Lady Aquarius!" A court lady suddenly ran into the entryway, coming to a stop before the blue haired woman and bowing, "Gildarts has arrived with the King's new bride."

* * *

"The Damiwon was built to take care of the minds and bodies of the king and the princes."

Lucy quietly followed behind Gildarts as he led her through the palace, pointing things out to her as they went.

"You'll prepare for the marriage here, Lady Lucy."

"Um, excuse me," the blonde started timidly. "I didn't hear anything about this marriage until earlier today. I'm sorry to the King…b-but can you inform him that I think there might be a mistake?"

The astronomer's eyes widened, "You want to turn down the opportunity to marry the King?"

"That's not it," Lucy shook her head. "It's just that I have no intention of marrying a man I don't know."

Gildarts suddenly focused on something behind her, "Oh! Court Lady Aquarius!"

The blonde turned to find a blue haired woman standing a short distance away, a small group of court ladies gathered behind her. Her hair was secured in a twist at the crown of her head and she wore a royal blue hanbok with various designs swirling across the fabric.

Her expression was fierce and her posture impeccable as she stared Lucy down, "Is this her?"

Gildarts nodded his head, "This is Lady Lucy of the Heartfilia Household. And now that you're here, I'll be taking my leave."

He slightly bowed to Aquarius before turning to Lucy, his expression uncharacteristically serious as he muttered, "Don't try to change things. Just follow your fate."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at his retreating form.

"Bring her inside the Damiwon," Aquarius commanded.

Lucy hesitantly followed the group of the servants as they entered the palace, making their way into a small bedroom.

Aquarius turned to the blonde when they stopped inside, "We'll search your body briefly before you wash up."

"W-why?" Lucy wrapped her arms around herself, uncomfortable with the situation.

The court lady raised an eyebrow, "A woman with scars on her body cannot be the King's wife. So you must be examined."

"I don't have scars," she anxiously shook her head, wishing that Sting hadn't gotten her the ointment to heal the cut on her neck. It was gone now, leaving only smooth skin behind. "I…I don't like people looking at me like that."

Aquarius looked to the other court ladies in the room, wordlessly giving them a command.

They grabbed Lucy's arms and began removing her hanbok.

"Hey!" the girl futilely struggled against them. "Stop it!"

"You'll be sharing a room with the King tonight, so you must be prepared. This won't take long, so forgive me for the lack of courtesy," Aquarius apologized a bit insincerely before moving to help her court ladies in their task of undressing her.

"S-sharing a room?" Lucy's eyes widened.

* * *

Grandeeny had been enjoying some tea by herself when Loke suddenly burst into her bedroom, his eyebrows knit with worry as he hurried to kneel beside her.

"Mother, you must help me!" he desperately pleaded. "You know Lucy, the one who saved me from that group of thugs? She's being forced to marry the King. Please, you have to stop it!"

The Queen's eyes widened, " _She_ is one that he is marrying?" She contemplated the information for a moment more before her lips formed a grim line, "No one can stop the King's marriage. It's not our place to step in."

"But mother," Loke protested, "Lucy doesn't wish to marry. Her household is forcing it upon her!"

Grandeeny only sighed, and went back to drinking her tea.

* * *

"Come on," Jellal followed behind Natsu as the salmon haired prince walked steadily along one of the palace's many porches. "You have to find a way to get Lucy out!"

Natsu sighed, "She's the one that gave in. So let her endure it on her own."

The thirteenth prince clenched his jaw, "If she had persisted and refused to go with them, we would have all died!"

"Whatever the case," Natsu's expression was unreadable as he looked at his brother, "no one can stop it now."

"Natsu," Jellal pleaded.

The Fourth Prince suddenly came to a stop and turned to his brother with a skeptical look on his face, "Why do you care so much?"

The blue haired prince swallowed heavily, "Yukino asked me to watch over Lucy. After she died, we drank together nearly every day. And she…she sees things differently than any other person I've ever met. She doesn't believe that there should be certain people who are valued more than others. She doesn't think that a person's standing in society should dictate what they can and can't do. She believes that everyone should live their lives in the way that they want to."

"She spoke recklessly like that and you just listened?" Natsu asked incredulously.

"She didn't say anything wrong," Jellal started angrily. "Look around Ishgar. Family connections are everything! You only get treated well if you're born from a good family. You only get recognition if you marry well. Life is bad enough for us, and we're princes. Imagine how hard it must be for the common people."

The salmon haired prince quirked a brow, "So what? Are you planning on overthrowing the throne? Are you going to take over and change the way this nation works?"

Jellal's anger suddenly faded, his voice filled with yearning as he softly uttered, "I just want to be free…and…I know that's what you want, too. And what about Lucy? How can a girl with no parents or siblings survive in this place? And since she'll be a Royal Concubine, once today passes…she won't even be able to see the King again. She'll suffocate and die at this rate."

Natsu was slightly taken aback at his brother's words. As Jellal pointed these things out to him, he realized that maybe Lucy was a lot more like him than he originally thought.

* * *

Lucy didn't bother to look at the group of court ladies as they exited the room, carrying her hanbok with them. After they were done looking for scars they had dressed her in a simple white robe, and Lucy clenched her hands in the material as she sunk to her knees.

She had struggled like hell against them the entire time they were stripping her, but her small frame was no match for five grown women.

Aquarius raised a brow at her crumbled form, "We're finished examining you. You may wash up now."

Lucy clenched her jaw, "I want to be alone."

The blue haired court lady sighed, "You'll marry once the sun sets." She reached down to grasp the blonde's arm and pull her off the floor, "The King is waiting, so-"

"Let go of me!" Lucy yanked her arm away. "I didn't know that this was happening until just earlier today. I just…I need time to process this."

Aquarius sighed irritably once again, "Then wait here a moment. I'll check on the bath." She bowed to Lucy before exiting the room.

As soon as she was gone, the blonde felt tears gather in her eyes, "Marriage? Sharing a room?"

* * *

Gildarts choked slightly as Natsu slammed him against a pillar, the salmon haired man's hand around his throat. The astronomer wished nothing more than to fight back, he knew that he could easily overtake him. But his attacker was a prince, and doing so would surely result in his execution.

Natsu was furious as he leaned into Gildarts' face, "You're saying that this is an honor? She's being forced to marry a man that is old enough to be her father."

The astronomer looked to Jellal, who stood behind his brother. He pleaded with his eyes for him to help him out of this situation, but the blue haired prince seemed just as determined as his older brother.

The salmon haired prince tightened his grip, "Did you not once tell me that a rabbit always digs two tunnels so that they have one to escape through when a predator stands waiting outside the other? I know you. You would never have just one plan." Natsu roughly let the astronomer out of his grasp, "Tell me what other plans you have hidden away so I can save Lucy."

* * *

Igneel rolled up the scroll he had been glancing over when one of his personal servants came into the room. The man respectfully bowed to him, "Your Majesty, the Heartfilia Household has delivered their daughter, Lucy. She's ready for marriage."

The King raised a brow, "Did you say Lucy? Is she the cousin of my eighth son's deceased wife?"

"Yes, she is."

Igneel sighed solemnly to himself, "Why did they send _her_? She must be having a difficult time…Those people are blinded by their greed."

The servant looked up at him, "Then, would you like to stop the marriage?"

The King contemplated the question for a moment before sighing again, "It would be too cumbersome to do so…and the Heartfilia Household would have to send another suitable girl. This definitely isn't an ideal situation, but I cannot afford to anger the Heartfilias. They hold too much power in Ishgar." His lips formed a grim line, "This will have to do. Let's go."

* * *

Lucy twiddled her fingers nervously as she sat in the bedroom where the consummation would take place. After she had been forcefully bathed, the court ladies had dressed her in an elegant, red hanbok and draped a long, black sash with golden swirls around her neck. Her hair had been done up in a large bun on the back of head, delicate golden pins with black and red gems securing it in place.

The sun had set, and she had no doubt that the King would arrive soon.

* * *

Igneel had changed into a red hanbok that matched his hair and his black and gold robe had been draped over his shoulders.

He solemnly made his way down the hallway that led to room where Lucy was waiting. He had only met her briefly once before, and she seemed lively and intelligent. He truly felt sorry for the girl. She had just lost a dear relative, and she was now being forced into a marriage that she undoubtedly didn't want.

But the Heartfilia family was powerful. They protected Ishgar's border with Stella. Angering them would undoubtedly cost him and his nation greatly.

The King rounded a corner and came to a stop when he caught sight of a man with platinum blonde hair kneeling in the middle of the hallway.

"Sting, is that you?"

The prince tentatively looked up at his father, "I have dared to come and discuss a certain matter with you, Your Majesty."

* * *

 **AN**

 **So basically Igneel agreed because he's trying to be a good king and protect his nation. He's really not too happy with situation either, but he plans on following through with a sort of grim acceptance.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15: Braver Than a Warrior

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _The King rounded a corner and came to a stop when he caught sight of a man with platinum blonde hair kneeling in the middle of the hallway._

 _"Sting, is that you?"_

 _The prince tentatively looked up at his father, "I have dared to come and discuss a matter with you, Your Majesty."_

Igneel shifted his weight, "An intelligent boy like you is blocking my path?"

Sting dropped his gaze to the floor, "The royal family already has many in-laws. The other powerful families are already doing everything they can to keep our family in check. I'm curious as to why you feel the need to bring in another household."

"I have a very good justification," Igneel felt a twinge of anger as his son spoke about his doubts of his decision. "I need the help of the Heartfilias in order to stop a war from breaking out with Stella. And as for you, what is your reason for trying to stop this marriage?"

Sting swallowed heavily, slowing raising his gaze to his father before he began "That is-"

Before he could complete his statement, the sharp sound of footsteps filled the hallway.

Natsu suddenly rounded the corner behind Sting, and came to stand next to his kneeling brother. "Is this really the best method of stopping a war?" he asked the King. His voice held power, but no disrespect.

"What do you two think you're doing?" Igneel's voice rose as his anger grew. He was king, and wouldn't tolerate people standing in his way. Even if they were his own children. "You must not care about your own lives."

Natsu took an eager step forward, "I've found a witness who has seen members of the Heartfilia Household conspiring with Stella. If anything, you should punish the household, not give them a stronger connection to the throne. Leave the border to another family." Igneel clenched his jaw and Sting stood as the salmon haired prince continued, "There are other ways to control the Heartfilias. You don't need this marriage."

"It has already been decided," the King ground out. "I will continue with this marriage. If I tried to punish the Heartfilias, would you not fear the actions of the other powerful families?" Igneel took a deep breath to calm himself before he continued speaking, this time much more steadily, "In the palace, it is not right to look for a reason to act. It wiser to look for a way to stop it from happening in the first place."

The King starting walking forward before either could protest more, passing between the two defeated brothers. He rounded the corner behind them, coming face to face with a very frightened Lucy. Her brows were furrowed, and her arms were wrapped tightly around herself.

The blonde had come out into the hallway when she'd heard the shouting through the paper walls of the bedroom. She had overheard what Sting and Natsu had tried to do for her, sharing in their defeat when Igneel wasn't swayed. The princes were unable to help her, so if she was to get of this situation, she would have to take matters into her own hands.

The King stopped to regard her for a moment, sighing solemnly before beckoning her to follow him and starting towards the bedroom down the hall.

He stopped when the sound of a vase shattering behind him echoed through the hallway.

Lucy hurriedly snatched one of the shards of the vase from the floor, slicing the sharp edge across her wrist before any of the three men could stop her. Blood quickly began dripping onto the floor, both from the cut on her wrist and the hand that tightly clutched the jagged shard.

"Lucy!" Sting started towards her, but a stoic Natsu grabbed onto his arm and held him back. The salmon haired prince wasn't sure what she was up to, but getting involved could ruin her plan.

The shard slipped from the girl's hand, and she gripped at the wound on her wrist.

"What are you doing?" the King asked, his eyes widening in shock as he took the blood sliding across her skin.

"M-my body…" Lucy's voice was shaky. Despite her obvious panic and pain, she straightened herself out to face Igneel, "If there is a scar…I cannot marry the King…"

Natsu and Sting watched on in worry and slight amazement at the girl's cleverness and bravery.

"Please, Your Majesty…" Lucy's voice rose in pitch, "Let me go…"

All was silent for a moment as the girl and the princes looked at the King expectantly.

His lips quirked and he let out a subtle laugh, "You…are more courageous than a warrior."

Igneel shifted his gaze to his sons momentarily before turning and disappearing around a corner.

Lucy let out a relieved breath once he was gone, finally letting herself slip into unconsciousness. The loss of blood and the stress of the situation had taken its toll on her mind and body.

"Lucy!" Sting rushed forward to catch her before she hit the ground, Natsu following closely behind.

The salmon haired prince was still slightly in awe of her bravery. He hadn't thought that the weird girl had it in her to stand up to the King in such a way.

Sting gently cradled the unconscious blonde in his arms, hurrying down the hallway and out the front of the Damiwon.

As they made their way into the moonlit courtyard of the palace, they were greeted by various cries of the girl's name.

Jellal, Gray, and Loke rushed to join Sting as he ran through the courtyard, "We need to find a doctor, now!"

Natsu quickly detached himself from the group. He didn't need to follow them to see if she would be alright. Lucy was strong, she had proven that only moments ago. He had no doubt that she would be fine and live to annoy him another day.

* * *

When Lucy awoke, it was still dark, and she was laying on a bed in an unfamiliar room.

Aquarius was seated on a chair next to the bed, her legs crossed and her arms folded under her breasts as she stared at Lucy.

She raised an eyebrow when the blonde's eyes widened as she caught sight of her, "That's right. You're still alive." She moved to start folding the bloody bandages that rested on the bedside table, "The palace's doctor refused to treat you since you're not part of the royal family, so I looked after you instead. But now that you're awake, I'll be taking my leave once I've cleaned up."

Lucy carefully used her hands to push herself into a sitting position, the cut on her wrist beginning to ache as she did so. "We're in the palace, right?"

Aquarius sighed irritably and rolled her eyes, "Well you're not dead so the answer is quite obvious. Yes, we're in the palace."

"Wait," the blonde's brows furrowed. "Are you saying that I can't leave the palace unless I die?"

The blue haired court lady paused in her task for a moment, "The wound is deep, and will definitely scar. Did you hate the idea of being the King's wife that much? You would've had all the wealth and prosperity you could wish for."

Lucy let the fact that Aquarius completely ignored her question slide, her hand unconsciously gripping her bandaged wrist, "Whether I live in wealth or not, I'm going to make sure that I have the right to choose. I wasn't going to let someone force me into doing something that I didn't agree with."

"That's what all people think when they're young." The blue haired woman sighed as she turned to the blonde, "You disobeyed not only your own household, but also the King. You'll be punished soon, so you should prepare yourself."

Lucy swallowed heavily as she solemnly nodded her head, "I don't regret it though. I protected what I believe in."

Aquarius was slightly taken aback. She had expected the girl to cower when she learned of her fate, but she only saw determination in the girl's eyes.

"Well," the court lady began, "you better rest up then." She grabbed her tray and exited the room, almost running into a solemn Sting. He had been waiting outside the room the entire time the court lady had been tending to Lucy. She bowed to him before moving aside to let him through the doors, balancing her tray in one arm so she could close them after he passed.

Lucy felt tears begin to gather in her eyes when he entered the room, his expression causing the gravity of her actions to finally set in. Although she wasn't thinking very clearly in her panicked state, she could have killed herself, and Sting would've lost another important person.

The prince was silent as he slowly made his way to sit on the bed next to Lucy, gingerly taking her bandaged wrist in his hand.

He swallowed heavily, "Everything will be alright. It's all over now."

To Lucy, it sounded like he was reassuring himself more than her.

"The King has cancelled the marriage because of the scar that will form," Sting lightly ran his fingers over the bandage. "And the Heartfilia household…it's been determined that they've gone against national interests. They won't able to pressure you anymore."

A tear finally escaped Lucy's eye and she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself.

The prince gently set her wrist down in her lap, his eyes downcast, "Last night…I felt so pathetic. I prayed to Yukino…telling her that if I got you back, I would repay her by giving you the affection I could never give her."

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction. After Yukino had passed, she had completely forgotten about Sting's confession.

"I…I asked her for forgiveness. I had promised that I would watch after you, but I let them bring you into the palace. If you had become the King's wife…I would have never forgiven myself."

The girl sniffled, "I thought…I thought that I would never be able to see you or any of the other princes ever again...I didn't even really get to say goodbye and I didn't think that it was right to part like that...So-" she cut herself off as she began sobbing. She'd been doing her best to stay strong ever since she arrived in Ishgar, but this place was cruel. And after last night, she couldn't hold herself together anymore.

Sting gently pulled her into his chest, "This will not happen again. _I won't let it happen again_. So…everything will be alright, Lucy."

* * *

"Your Majesty," Gildarts bowed to the King, who sat on his throne, "the stars are gone, and the sun is about to rise. You need to get some sleep."

"Alright," Igneel thoughtlessly agreed, but he made no move to follow through with Gildarts' advice. He only continued to read the scroll in his hands.

The astronomer sighed, straightening himself out before he asked, "Have you determined what to do about Lady Lucy or the Heartfilia household?"

Igneel's lips formed a thin line as he set down the scroll, "Though I do feel bad for her, I cannot ignore the fact that she disobeyed orders. I can't just let her go back to her old life, so I'm unsure of what to do with her…"

"Why don't you let her live as a court lady in the palace?" Gildarts suggested. "Queen Grandeeny is in need of one."

"Did the princes put you up to this?" Igneel sighed, deep in his throat. "What is her relation to them anyway? Even Sting and Natsu got involved…"

"Court Lady Aquarius put in a request for another court lady, as well," the astronomer eagerly pointed out. "I've heard that Lady Lucy has interest in cosmetics and herbal medicine. They say she knows a great deal. I believe she would be a great benefit to the royal family if we left her with Court Lady Aquarius."

Igneel hummed in thought, contemplating Gildarts' words. "Where is she now?"

"The Eighth Prince has taken her to visit Lady Yukino's grave."

"Go there, and tell her that from now on, she will serve under Court Lady Aquarius in the Damiwon Palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

"It's a relief, really," Gildarts spoke over his shoulder as he led Sting and Lucy across a flat bridge that lay over a small lake. "The punishment could have been much worse. He could have sent you off to some distant part of Ishgar to be a slave."

"Yeah," Lucy remarked gratefully. She wasn't quite sure what being a court lady entailed, but it certainly had to be better than being a slave. "I heard that court ladies get paid. I'll finally be able to support myself."

"That's right," the astronomer admiringly responded. "And you're a noble lady, so you'll be treated differently, even as a court lady. If you work very hard, the king may let you marry. And he'll let you out on trips, too."

Lucy's smile slowly faded at the mention of marriage and Sting clenched his jaw.

Gildarts picked up on the sudden change in the atmosphere and quickly moved on with the conversation, "Lady Lucy, should we get going?"

She nodded her head, "I…I would like to properly say goodbye to Sting though. I didn't really get the chance to the last time we parted."

"I'll give you some privacy then," Gildarts bowed to them before moving to wait at the end of the bridge.

The blonde girl turned to Sting, smiling softly, "I think it may be difficult to find time to go see Yukino for the next little bit. But please, don't wait on me to visit her."

Sting sighed, "Like Gildarts said, it's a relief that you avoided harsher punishment. So…don't worry too much."

"I'm not worried," Lucy confidently reassured. "I'm a fast learner, so I don't think I'll have a problem. I'll become someone who's needed."

Sting's lips quirked at the corners in small grin before he awkwardly cleared his throat and pulled a folded paper out of the belt of his hanbok. He shoved the paper into her hands before he nervously clasped his hands behind his back and shifted his gaze to anywhere but her.

Lucy looked between his face and the paper curiously before unfolding it.

She couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the paper's contents. On it was a drawing similar to the one she'd given him, though it was much sloppier and it looked as if he had been unsure of the strokes while making them.

She looked up to see him softly smiling down at her, "I…I'll visit you every day."

Lucy didn't get the chance to reply.

There were various shouts of her name as Gray, Loke, and Jellal appeared at the end of the bridge, rushing past Gildarts to get to her. Natsu and Gajeel followed behind, walking instead of eagerly running like their younger brothers.

Laxus and Zeref also trailed behind the group, though they stopped at the edge of the bridge to talk with the astronomer.

Lucy greeted them happily, laughing sofrly as Gray exclaimed, "That would have been so weird if you had married the King…that would have made you like…my mother!"

"Sis! I tried everything I could to save you!" Loke declared.

Gray gently grasped her bandaged wrist, frowning as he examined it, "I thought that you were going to die!"

Lucy smiled gently, "Thanks guys, for your concern. And for trying to help me earlier."

"You need to stop making people worry like that," Jellal softly scolded.

Sting sighed, a pleasant expression on his face, "That's enough coddling everyone. If you wear her down on her first day, Court Lady Aquarius won't be happy."

Gray shivered as if recalling an unpleasant memory, "Yeah, Court Lady Aquarius is pretty scary."

"Sis, now that you'll be living in the palace, I can visit you every day!" Loke smiled brightly.

The princes continued to talk happily amongst themselves, but Lucy's smile faded as a thought came to mind.

' _Hyeojong, Jeongjong, and Gwangjong, the next three kings of Ishgar. They're all standing right in front of me. Hyeojong and Jeongjong weren't kings for very long, a couple of years each at most and I can't remember why. But Gwangjong…he was the king that killed all of his brothers to reach the throne. He ruled over Ishgar in tyranny for almost thirty years…Which one of these princes could turn in to someone like that? Who's going to become Gwangjong…and kill his brothers?'_

"Man," Gajeel's rough voice pulled her out of her thoughts, "you have quite the exciting life. How many times have you almost died? I'm sure that you'll definitely die next ti-"

"Don't say that!" Gray and Loke chorused.

"Lady Lucy," Gildarts called from the edge of the bridge. "I think we should go now. Court Lady Aquarius is probably waiting."

The blonde smiled at each of the princes timidly.

Gray, Loke, Jellal, and Sting gave her encouraging smiles in return while Gajeel simply raised his hand in a subtle wave.

Natsu's expression was a bit more difficult to read, but as she passed him, she swore she could see a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he caught sight of the bandage on her wrist.

* * *

 **AN**

 **So...the princes didn't save Lucy, she saved herself! One of my favorite things about Lucy as a character is that she doesn't always rely on her physical or magical strength like most other Fairy Tail characters do the majority of the time. She often uses her intelligence and relies on her will to get her through a lot of tough situations, so I feel that she fit into this scene pretty well.**

 **A quick note: In Goryeo, princes changed their names when they became king, which is why Lucy doesn't know which prince will become what king and refers to them as Hyeojong, Jeongjong, and Gwangjong. Also, I contemplated changing those names to fit more with the characters of Fairy Tail that will become them, but everything I came up with made it way too obvious who it was going to be, so I kept the Korean names :)**

 **Some new characters show up in the next couple of chapters, so be excited...**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16: The General's Arrival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy nervously twiddled her fingers as she stood in front of Aquarius' desk as the court lady examined her appearance.

The blonde was dressed just like all of the other lower court ladies. The top piece of her hanbok was yellow with red polka dots and trim, and a matching thick, red ribbon cinched the top in at her waist. The skirt of the hanbok was a shamrock green and cut to fall only to her ankles so that she wouldn't step on it whilst going about her daily chores. The top half of her hair had been done in a twisted bun that ran from the crown of her head to the middle of the back of her head. The rest of her hair had been tied into a simple ponytail at the base of her neck with a red strip of cloth.

The outfit wasn't too attractive, and Lucy couldn't help but wish that she was able to wear what the higher court ladies wore. They all wore either a hanbok with a flower covered red top and forest green skirt or a blue hanbok with swirling designs, like the one Aquarius wore.

"Though you were once meant to be the King's wife," the blue haired court lady callously began, "you're now merely a court lady here."

"I understand," Lucy softly nodded her head. "I'll do my best to adapt quickly."

Aquarius raised a brow, "Do you know how to serve tea? Do you know how to differentiate herbs or how to apply makeup?"

The blonde smiled brightly, "That happens to be what I'm best at. I know a lot about skincare and how to apply makeup well. I can mix my own makeup by hand, too." She laughed softly, "I think the Damiwon will suit me well."

The blue haired woman paid no mind to Lucy's rambling, she only apathetically continued, "You know how to read and write, don't you?"

Lucy's grin faded. "N-no," she hestitantly admitted.

Aquarius was slightly taken aback. She let out a short, disbelieving laugh, "You really don't know?"

The blonde bit her lip and nervously lowered her gaze to the floor.

* * *

Lucy sighed as she walked out of the room. Aquarius hadn't been too happy to learn that she couldn't read, berating Lucy until the blonde felt like her neck might snap from all of her flinching. The blue haired woman had ordered her out of her sight after that, and Lucy was grateful for the escape.

The blonde stopped short and lifted her gaze from the floor when she bumped into someone.

She smiled when her eyes connected with a pair of onyx orbs, "What are you doing here?"

Natsu only cleared his throat awkwardly, his lips slightly quirked at the corners as he turned to walk away, gesturing for her to follow him.

She readily accompanied the prince, taking in the many beautiful structures of the palace as they strolled.

"I was very curious about this place. But I think I'll fit in well here. My tasks are all things that I'm good at," she remarked happily. She angled her body towards Natsu, "Did you know that I'm good at applying makeup? You didn't, right?"

The prince only glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Lucy sighed dreamily before continuing, "Regardless, I'll be living in the palace now, so come visit me often. Okay?"

That brought Natsu's steps to a halt and he turned to face her, his face blank.

"Oh, right," Lucy continued, immune to the empty stare he was giving her. "I never really got to thank you personally for helping me. So thank you. It's a relief that I don't have to marry the ki-"

She cut herself off as Natsu's hand sudden shot out to grip her wrist, his large hand wrapping around her forearm just below the bandages. Her smile faded and her eyes widened as his expression became almost pained.

"You could have died," the masked prince started, his voice bordering on anger. "If the cut were a little deeper, you _would_ have died."

Lucy swallowed heavily, "But I didn't die. That's what matters most, right?"

Natsu's face filled with sorrow, "Did you ever think about what it's like to live with a scar on your body? A scar that carries such painful memories?"

Lucy flinched slightly at his words, recalling the image of the scar that he hid behind his mask.

"And are you really that happy to be a court lady? You may never be able to step foot outside this palace ever again. And you're excited about that? Why did you have to go so far? If this was the way that things were going to turn out, then you should have just married the king."

"Stop it!" Lucy shouted, tears filling her eyes as she yanked her wrist from his grasp. "You don't know what it was like. I kept telling myself, 'if you can't do anything, just close your eyes when you enter the King's room.'" She inhaled shakily before continuing, "I just…I couldn't do it. No one could save me…but myself. That's what I thought, and that's why I did it. When I came to my senses…this happened," she shifted her eyes to her wrist.

Natsu clenched his jaw, though his tone was much softer than before, "Don't do it again. If you do…I won't ever forgive you."

She tentatively lifted her eyes to meet his, slightly surprised at the genuine concern she found in his onyx orbs.

* * *

"What is this place?" Lucy asked Natsu as she gazed around them in wonder.

The prince had brought her to a small lake on the edge of the palace's property. Trees of various greens, pinks, and whites surrounded the lake on all sides, their blossoms falling to lay on the water's surface. A white wooden bridge crossed one side of the lake, its image reflected in the rippling water.

The two stood next to a small pavilion that had been built on a small outcropping of land, looking across the lake.

"It's a lake called Dongji," the prince replied. "In the palace, it's the first place where the sun rises."

"What kind of place is the palace?" Lucy inquired.

"A place that's hard to enter, and even harder to leave. You end up dying if you trust anyone. You only live if you remain alert and stay wary of those closest to you. Everyone here is alone. That's one thing I know for certain."

Lucy only continued to smile, "I'm not alone, so I'm alright."

"You're not alone?" he glanced curiously at her.

"You're here, Your Highness. So how am I alone?" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Natsu scoffed, "You'll be in trouble if you keep saying reckless things like that."

"I'm not scared of what's to come. Everyone who lives here is a person just like me. So I'll be able to get through it."

The prince's lips quirked in a small smile, "I suppose you will. And now that a noisy thing like you is here, I guess the palace won't be so boring anymore."

* * *

"Sting," Minerva's voice pulled the blond prince out of his thoughts. "Our relatives on our maternal side are looking into other families for me to marry into."

The man sighed, "Wasn't my arranged marriage enough?"

"Yukino is dead," the princess stated coldly. "And we need all the connections we can get if you're to win the throne."

"Minerva, I have no desire to be king," the prince urged. "Couldn't you just find someone you truly love and live in peace?"

The dark haired woman smiled coyly, "There is only one way for me to live my life in peace." Her grin faded as she pressed, "Become king, Sting."

* * *

Zeref sighed as Gildarts carefully applied ointment to the festering sores that littered his arm.

"I couldn't go out again because of my ailment. I sure am facing opposition from all directions."

"Everyone learns to live with their ailments," the astronomer assured. "Don't reproach yourself."

The prince only shook his head softly, "I feel like falling ill was a punishment. A punishment for being insane enough to dare to desire the throne."

It was Gildarts' turn to sigh, "I have certainly told you this before. But you were born with the star of a king, Your Highness. So please, focus on your treatment."

* * *

The palace gates opened as two figures on horseback galloped towards them. They were greeted warmly by the guards that waited in the courtyard.

"Welcome, Grand General Makarov," the guards saluted him.

The small man slid off his horse, laughing heartily as he looked about the area, "Alright, at ease. You've all been well, right?"

The second figure took much longer to dismount, dragging a heavy bear pelt with them and being especially careful to make sure it didn't touch the ground.

Makarov looked around nostalgically, "Ah…it's been too long since my last visit to the palace. It's still as brilliant as ever."

The old man's smile dropped as his companion came to stand next to him, playfully glaring at the pelt that rested on their shoulder, "Why do you refuse to give that to your grandfather? How could you be so unreasonable?"

The girl wasn't fazed by her grandfather's pleading. She looked over to him, her gaze cold, "This is for someone else."

Makarov pouted, "Everything good and valuable should be for your grandfather."

He jumped to grab at the pelt, but the girl moved away, "Juvia has another man in her life. And she's saving this for him."

* * *

Makarov laughed joyously as he caught sight of Igneel and Gildarts. He knelt on one knee and bowed his head before the King, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Igneel let out a small laugh as well, "It's good to see you, Grand General."

The old man sighed as he stood, his armor clinking as he did so, "I should have washed up before coming. I apologize, Your Majesty."

"It's fine Grand General Makarov. I suppose I should take this chance to thank you for taking care of my son while he was in Shirotsume."

Makarov grinned, "Prince Natsu is very talented, so I enjoyed teaching him martial arts. If it were not for the scar on his face…he would be suitable for a Crown Prince."

Igneel raised a brow, "Are you implying that Crown Prince Zeref is lacking in his martial arts skills?"

"I'm merely saying that Prince Zeref is far too gentle compared to the strength of his fists. I worry that he would have a much harder fight in the political world of the palace than on a battlefield."

The King smiled softly, "I can assure you that Zeref will be fine. Though I wish we could converse longer, I have matters to attend to."

Makarov and Gildarts bowed to Igneel as he left.

"I see you still have many things to learn while in the palace," Gildarts joked.

Makarov sighed irritably, "And what do you suppose those are?"

The astronomer smirked, "Some tact and sense."

* * *

"So, I hear you're burying yourself in books rather than practicing your military skills," Makarov remarked as he walked alongside Natsu, his hands clasped behind his back.

The salmon haired prince smiled softly, "I think I've learned enough about martial arts from you, Grand General. I believe it would be better if I focused on acquiring more knowledge now."

The small old man chuckled, "So…what is the real reason you want to live in Magnolia? If you went back to Shirotsume now, there's no doubt that you'd be able to control the Strauss family after what you did for Crown Prince Zeref. He'd be able to give you all the power you needed to rule them."

Natsu simply replied, "I want to know what it means to be king and why my mother and siblings are so persistent in trying to gain the throne."

"Then, will you return to Shirotsume once you're done observing them?"

Natsu quirked a brow, "Is there any reason to go back?"

Makarov's lips formed a grim line, "Only one prince will remain in Magnolia forever. The one…who takes the throne."

* * *

Lucy followed behind Aquarius as she made her way into the Queen's room. The blonde held a tray of various teacups, pots, and ground herbs.

"How is your headache?" the blue haired court lady asked Grandeeny, who was seated at a table drinking a cup of tea.

"Still there," the Queen sighed. "It's been two days and it won't go away."

Aquarius grabbed the tray from Lucy's hands and set it on the table, "I'll add more chrysanthemum to your tea then. There's nothing better than that to treat headaches."

Grandeeny looked around the blue haired court lady as she performed her task to look at the blonde, "How are you, Lucy? You were a noble, and now you have to live as a court lady. It must be hard."

Lucy smiled softly, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm doing well. Ah, if you would like, I can make you some more soaps if you enjoyed using them. I can apply your makeup for you as well if you want me to."

Aquarius turned to glare at the blonde, "This isn't your place to step in. Now get out of my way, and go wait in the hall."

The blonde's grin vanished and she quickly bowed to the Queen before complying with Aquarius' command.

Grandeeny let out a soft laugh, "Now that I see her here, I think she suits the Damiwon well. Those soaps she made me were very nice."

Aquarius forced a smile, "I will watch over her closely then."

"How are your stomach pains by the way? We can't have anything happen to our most trusted court lady."

Despite the fake concern that dripped from the Queen's voice, the blue haired lady still bowed to her, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm doing just fine."

* * *

Lucy waited outside the doors of the Queen's room for quite some time before she got bored and decided the wander the halls of the palace.

She brought her meandering to a startled halt when pained screams and the sound of shattering glass rang out from a nearby room.

"Ice! Ice! Get me some ice!"

Lucy curiously glanced into the room, her eyes widening when she caught sight of two court ladies hurriedly fanning a shirtless Zeref. The Crown Prince had festering sores littered across his torso and arms. He scratched furiously at them, smearing blood across his skin.

"That looks like atopic eczema," she remarked quietly to herself.

She was pushed into the room by another court lady when she rushed through the doorway with a bowl of water in her hands.

Lucy gasped, "No! You can't do that!"

The blonde tore the bowl out of the court lady's hands just as Zeref lunged for it.

"Let go!" he wrestled the bowl from her hands and moved to dump it over himself.

Lucy knocked it from his hands before he could do so, "You can't use cold water!"

The Crown Prince glared at her as he fisted his hand in the front of her hanbok, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Doesn't it itch more when you eat beans or cold food?" her voice was much more timid than it had been moments before. "And also when you're tired and sweaty."

Zeref loosened his grip and let his hand fall back to his side, his brows furrowing, "How do you know that?"

Lucy inhaled deeply before placing her arms on his biceps and gently pushing him back to sit on the bed, "Please, trust me. Use warm water to wash. Cold water will only make it itch more." She turned to the other three court ladies in the room, "Do you have green tea and peppermint leaves?"

One of the court ladies hesitantly grabbed each of the items from the table of herbs that they had set up in the Crown Prince's room. Lucy eagerly took them, grinding up the peppermint leaves in a bowl before mixing the tea with them to create a paste.

She took a bowl of warm water and washed Zeref's arm before gently applying the herbs to his sores, "The peppermint leaves will help with the itching."

The Crown Prince watched her tentatively as she wrapped a bandage around his bicep.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Lucy dropped the bowl of the green paste when the shout echoed around the room. She turned to find a furious Aquarius standing in the doorway.

"All of you, get out! Now!"

The other three court ladies fearfully scurried out of the room.

The blue haired woman clenched her jaw and glared at Lucy when the blonde made no move to exit the room, "Didn't I just tell you to leave?"

Lucy swallowed heavily, "My father had the same illness, so I've known how to treat it for a long time. If he applies this pas-"

Aquarius shot her arm out, snatching the blonde's wrist and yanking her away from the Crown Prince, "This is no place for you."

"Court Lady Aquarius…" Zeref softly began to protest.

Another servant suddenly ran into the room, this time a male, "Crown Prince! Are you alright!"

Aquarius used the distraction to drag Lucy from the room, Zeref's eyes never leaving the blonde as the servant helped him lay down.

* * *

Aquarius had dragged Lucy back into her office, ordering her to kneel in front of her desk and raise her arms above her head. The blue haired court lady had placed a thick book in the blonde's hands, and Lucy flinched when she plopped another on top, starting a small stack.

"This one is called 'Sage of Tea'. It's a book written by medical expert Lu from the Iceberg Dynasty," the woman stated coldy. She cruelly added two more thick books, "'Newly Revised Materia Medica: Pergrande Edition'. It's a medical book on the use of over one hundred different medecines. 'Supplement to Materia Medica'. It's a book about many medicinal plants by Chen Cang Qi from the Iceberg Dynasty."

Lucy huffed out a breath as she did her best to keep her arms straight under the weight of the heavy books.

"If you had read all of these," Aquarius glared at the blonde, "you wouldn't have made today's mistakes. And how could you dare to touch the Crown Prince?"

"He was suffering," Lucy huffed out. "I knew how to help him, so I couldn't just stand by idly."

The blue haired woman raised a brow, "How did you know that peppermint leaves were good for curing itchy skin? You're illiterate, so you couldn't have read it."

The girl sighed, "I told you before. My father has the same illness, so I've seen him use that treatment."

"You must never speak of the Crown Prince's illness to anyone." Aquarius clenched her jaw, "You won't see the sunrise tomorrow if you do. Do you understand?"

Lucy nervously nodded her head, "Yes."

"Good," Aquarius lips quirked in a smile. "Now keep your goddamn arms straight!"

* * *

Lucy was hunched over with the weight of the large pot of water she was carrying. Her arms and shoulders already hurt like hell after Aquarius had made her hold those books above her head for nearly twenty minutes, but of course the cruel woman wanted to put her through more pain. She'd been assigned to water one of the palace's gardens, and she had to awkwardly waddle with the large pot through the entire palace to get to her destination.

Once Lucy arrived, she set the pot down heavily, sighing as she fished the ladle out from the inside. She used the utensil to scoop water from the pot and fling it at the various plants, too upset to really care about being gentle.

"This is dumb," she complained to herself. "I thought that I'd be able to use my knowledge and talents as a court lady, but here I am watering plants of all things. Maybe I should just run away."

"You want to run?"

Lucy was startled by the new voice, and turned to find a smirking Natsu standing a few feet away. Her brows furrowed when she noticed that his bangs were wet, clinging to his forehead and mask. There were also several wet spots on the front of his gray hanbok.

The blonde was pulled out of her confused state when he asked, "Where in Ishgar do you think you'll be able to hide from the King?"

Lucy became slightly defensive, "I was just saying it. Who said that I was actually going to do it?"

"You're only a court lady," he remarked as he shortened the distance between them, "yet you act like a royal court minister. You never use physical means. You're always using that head of yours."

The girl sighed as she shook her head, "No matter how I look at it, this place doesn't suit me. No one recognizes my talent. And I'm overflowing with it!"

"Well, have you ever demonstrated it to them?"

She pouted up at him, "Earlier with the Crown Prince, I did everyth-" she cut herself off as she remembered that she promised Aquarius that she wouldn't speak of Zeref's illness. She sighed, "That's not really the issue. You need a good boss in order to get recognized. But with Court Lady Aquarius…it's just not gonna work out."

Lucy plopped herself underneath a nearby tree and Natsu hesitantly joined her.

They sat in silence for a moment before she turned to him, "By the way, why are you wet?"

Natsu's lips quirked, "I was just taking a nap on the other side of these bushes when water was suddenly flung over them at me."

Lucy bit her lip, "Oh…sorry…"

The salmon haired prince chuckled softly before his expression turned more serious, "Lucy…what you said before...you don't happen to know about the Crown Prince's illness, do you?"

The blonde anxiously shook her head, "Nope…never heard of anything like that."

Natsu easily saw past her lie and his lips pressed into a grim line, "Watch what you say, or your punishment will be much worse than just being sent to the Damiwon."

Lucy pouted, "But the itchy skin…it won't get better by making a fuss as if he's going to die. He just needs take care of himself and eat well."

"What if you had made the Crown Prince worse? You'd already be dead. Court Lady Aquarius let you off easy."

The blonde sighed, "I…I guess you're right."

"And just by seeing how you water trees, you're not overflowing with talent. You're lacking it," Natsu smirked. "Very much lacking."

Lucy pursed her lips as he steadily continued, "Whenever you are growing something, you have to give it a name. You have to make a friends with it."

"Why would I name a tree?" the girl asked.

Natsu cleared his throat as he stood, "If you won't do it, then I'll name them for you. That pine tree over there, it will be Best, because it's the tallest. And this mulberry tree, the fruits make one pass gas. So it will be…Farty."

Lucy let out an incredulous laugh, "What kind of names are those?"

The salmon haired prince awkwardly cleared his throat, "When I first arrived Shirotsume as a young boy, I named a white birch tree Pat Pat. Three grown men could sit in its branches and it wouldn't budge."

The blonde's lips quirked at the corners, "Your tree must very famous then."

Natsu's grin suddenly faded, "I burned it down myself a few years ago. It's gone now."

"What?" the girl's brows furrowed.

"It was cold, and the wolves were gathering. It was the only thing I could think of doing to survive."

The prince looked down to see Lucy gazing at him with sorrow in her eyes.

Natsu laughed bitterly, "Forget it. There's really no point in me telling you this." He crouched down in front her, a soft smile on his face, "Don't think about running. Stay faithful to what you've decided to do. Okay?" He suddenly flicked her in the forehead and Lucy let out a small yelp, "Don't think that happiness will just come to you. You have to work for it, weirdo."

Lucy rubbed her forehead and glared at his back as he walked away.

"And here I was thinking that he was starting to be nicer to me. What a jerk."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Yay! Juvia and Makarov are here! And I bet you all know who Juvia's man is...**

 **Thank you to all of you who favorited, followed, and reviewed! And thank you so much for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17: A Birthday Celebration Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Gray sighed irritably, growing restless and bored of just sitting at a table when he could be off having fun. When Lucy had talked to him about using a snapweed paste to dye his fingernails it had sounded interesting, but he was growing restless and the cloth tied around his index fingers to hold the paste in place was driving him insane.

"Luuuucccyyy," Gray complained childishly. "How long do I have to keep these on?"

The blonde didn't even look up at him as she continued grinding more paste, "You're just going to have to wait, Your Highness."

The raven haired prince sighed dramatically before letting his head fall to the rest on the table. He didn't dare use his hands to prop his head up. He had done so earlier and Lucy had thrown a fit about the possibility of him ruining her work on his fingernails. He didn't want to have to go through that again.

It wasn't long before he grew restless again and threw his head back, "Lucy. My fingers are tingling and it feels like there are insects."

The blonde sighed and finally looked up at him, "Please, just be patient and sit there quietly, Prince Gray."

The raven haired boy pouted at her.

"They say if the snapweed dye remains until the first snow, your first love will come to you," Lucy grinned softly.

"Really?" Gray perked up. He looked at his index fingers happily and smiled to himself, "My first love…"

* * *

Later, Lucy busied herself by diligently copying characters down from the books Aquarius had given her to study. The blue haired court lady had given her a quick reading lesson before sending her off on her own. And although the lesson was brief, Lucy now knew a few basic characters of Ishgar's alphabet.

She smiled to herself as she read over the sentence she wrote. "Spring has come," she read happily. It was a simple sentence, only composed of four characters. But it was more than she could have done a day ago.

"This character's name is Chun," she remarked to herself. "And this is Il…and this one…this one is…" she tapped the edge of her brush over the character a few times in contemplation before angrily slamming it on the table in frustration.

"Its name is Bong, as in the peak."

Lucy turned in her chair to see that Sting was standing behind her, smiling pleasantly.

"Chun Il Bong Hwa," he said as he looked over her shoulder at her writing. "It means that flowers have bloomed on a warm spring day." He shifted his gaze to Lucy for a moment before looking at the various books, papers, and brushes scattered across her table, "What's all of this?"

Lucy sighed, "It's my homework."

Sting's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know how to read, so I used the wrong herb in a tea this morning," she explained as she twirled her brush absentmindedly in her hand.

The blonde prince was slightly taken aback, "You…you don't know how to read?"

"Well…" Lucy nervously tapped the end of her brush on the back of her left hand. "I kind of forgot after I hurt my head."

Sting's brows furrowed, "Then, how did you read that poem I gave you?"

"Yukino read it to me…" the girl hesitantly admitted.

Sting was silent for a moment before he sighed deeply, "I have so much to repay Lady Yukino…"

"What?"

The blond prince ignored her question and simply smiled down at her, "You're hard to meet. I was going to write you a letter. But you can't read, so now what?"

"Don't worry," Lucy grinned at him in return. "I'll work hard and be able to read everything soon."

She went back to copying down characters and he watched her pleasantly for a moment before he rested his hand over hers on the brush. He placed his other hand on her left shoulder and leaned over her to see the paper better.

Lucy looked up at him in surprise as he started moving his hand that held hers, dragging the brush across the paper to help her write an intricate character.

"Draw it down like this," he instructed. "It's the character for the Amur Adonis plant. It's a medicinal plant that helps if used well, but it can also be poisonous."

Lucy nodded her head softly, "I…I see."

"And this…" he moved his hand to draw a new character, one that she didn't recognize from the book. "That's my name. Sting. Its character means sunrise."

The blond prince suddenly turned to sit on the table and he gently reached across it to grab her left wrist. He moved her sleeve down to run his fingers across the healing cut that rested there. It had scabbed over, but was starting to look more like a scar every day.

Sting reached into the waist belt of his hanbok and withdrew a small, but long and shiny stone with two red, braided strings attached to the sides. He laid the thin, powder blue stone across her wrist to cover the cut and pulled the strings down to tie the bracelet around her wrist.

"The color red protects from misfortune," he explained as he tied it. "It also symbolizes a joyful relationship. Can you promise me that you'll never take it off?"

Lucy was unsure of what to say, so she numbly nodded her head.

Sting smiled gently at her, "I'll do whatever it takes to return you to where you belong. So…please wait."

* * *

Jellal had situated himself under a tree as he drew the scene before him. The people of later Bosco had finally arrived in Magnolia, and the King had asked him to capture the moment in various drawings. So he had dressed in commoners clothes and went to observe the rugged and misplaced people as they traveled on the dirt trail to the capital city.

A family pulled their wagon off to the side of the road just in front him, stopping to rest for a moment.

"Hey," he smiled softly at the two small children of the family, and gestured them over. He reached into his bag and pulled out two small rolls of bread, giving them one each, "Don't eat them too fast."

"Thank you so much, sir," they had bright smiles on their dirt covered faces as they bowed to him before scurrying back to stand by their mother.

Jellal turned back to his sketchbook. He'd already finished two drawings, one of a young boy holding his mother's hand as they walked and one of a husband helping his wife carry her large sack of belongings. He was working on one of the mother cradling her baby in her arms before him when his sketchbook was suddenly yanked out of his lap.

He looked up just as he heard the sound of tearing paper, the drawing he'd just been working on fluttering to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jellal asked angrily as he hurriedly stood when the culprit, a woman with scarlet colored hair, continued to rip his drawings from the book. He easily wrestled it from her hands, though most of his drawings were already ruined.

The woman glared at him furiously, "Do we look like pigs to you?"

"What?" Jellal asked incredulously as he looked through his sketchbook to see what he could salvage.

"We may have lost to Ishgar and we may be suffering because of the drought." The woman clenched her jaw, "But we're still human beings. Don't think that you can look down on us just because you're country won."

The blue haired prince lightly scoffed, "That's not it…I only wanted to show what the drought was doing to the people."

The scarlet haired woman still glared at him, "It's not enough for the Ishgar aristocrats to live in luxury. I hear they keep dirty and low things such as art of the common people's suffering. You latch onto things like that to feel more powerful and you make a mockery of the suffering of the citizens. You have no pride," she continued to glower at him as she disappeared back into the crowd.

Jellal stood still for a few moments in slight shock before gathering his things and attempting to chase after her, "Hey! Wait up!"

He had no luck, he'd already lost her amongst the crowd, "Gosh, she misunderstands all on her own like that and just leaves…was she a refugee from later Bosco?"

* * *

"Wendy," Erza laughed softly as a young girl dragged her forward through the crowd with a tight grip on her hand, a bright smile never leaving her young face, "You're going to fall."

"Your Highness."

The scarlet haired woman's grin faded as she heard the term. She turned to find Macao and Wakaba making their way through the crowd of their people to stand next to her, their expressions grim. It was strange for her to see them in commoner's clothes instead of armor, though she supposed it was strange for them to see her without her elegant hanboks as well.

She sent the blue haired girl off before addressing the two, "I told you not to call me that, Generals. Bosco has fallen, I'm not a princess anymore."

"You'll always be a princess to your people, Your Highness. No matter how far our nation has fallen." Macao's lips formed a grim line, "The Minister of the Left wishes to see you."

"Minister of the left?" Erza scoffed, "That betrayer Mest Gryder has already become Minister of the Left? He's climbed up quite high in such a short amount of time." She sighed, "Fine. Let's go."

"This way, Your Highness."

* * *

The dining hall of the palace was filed with music and the boisterous laughter of the princes as they celebrated Gray's birthday. They had hired gisaengs for entertainment, and the three women gracefully danced to the beat of the drums, their fans swishing through the air with the movements of their arms.

The royal heirs were gathered around a long table in the center of the room, drinking and eating the wide array of food that had been laid out before them. They raised their cups to Gray, who sat the head of the table smiling brightly at his siblings.

Zeref chuckled slightly as he took in his younger brother's excitement, "Gray, you're one year older. Let me poor you another drink."

"Thank you, brother!"

Jellal and Loke shared a quick glance before they, too, moved to pour their brother another drink. Gray was hilarious and fun to mess with when he was drunk, and it was just the type of thing they needed to liven up the party.

As they went about their task, Gray looked to their sister, "Minerva, you're the one that organized this gathering for me. Thank you!"

The dark haired woman smiled sweetly, "It wasn't that hard. Besides, once I marry and leave here, I won't be able to do much for you anymore."

Zeref's brows furrowed slightly, "You're marrying?"

Minerva's grin faded, "The king is looking into a powerful family somewhere away from Magnolia."

As she spoke, Loke and Jellal practically shoved cup after cup of alcohol down Gray's throat. The three no longer paid any attention to the conversation going on in front of them. Natsu chuckled softly as he watched them from the other end of the table.

Laxus smirked from his place across from Minerva, "Not even a royal family, but just a powerful family. That's nonsense."

Minerva raised her brows slightly, "I suppose I'm not good enough and no royal family wants me."

Sting sighed, "Can we talk about this later? This is supposed to be a celebration for Gray."

They all looked to said prince as Jellal held an entire bottle of soju to his lips, forcing the raven haired prince to chug it. He gasped loudly once the bottle was empty and leaned heavily on Loke, who kneeled next to him.

"Hey," Gray hiccupped, his cheeks flushing red. "Why am I the only one drinking?"

His siblings laughed as his voice was quite a bit higher than usual and occasionally cracked as he spoke.

Gajeel smirked and began shoving various foods into his younger brother's mouth, the drunk prince sloppily trying to eat all of it.

* * *

"Court Lady Aquarius!" Lucy ran through the halls of the palace, eager to find her superior. She smiled brightly once she did, briefly bowing to the blue haired woman, "I've finished all of my chores. May I go now?"

Aquarius raised a brow, "You realize that I'm only letting you do this because Crown Prince Zeref asked me to. But it won't be a common occurrence, even if the princes favor you. Understand?"

Lucy nodded her head anxiously.

The blue haired court lady's lips quirked a small smile, "Good. Now go."

"Thank you!" the blonde bowed to her superior again before rushing off to change into the light blue hanbok she asked Levy to send with Sting. She had a lot of things to set up before the royal heirs' celebration was over.

* * *

Lucy giggled as she caught sight of Gray stumbling down one of the palace's hallways. He leaned heavily on one of the walls and was laughing softly to himself.

The blonde ran up behind him, happily shouting, "Your Highness!"

He squinted at her over his shoulder for a moment before a bright smile spread across his face as he finally seemed to recognize her, "Hey Lucy!"

The blonde wretched slightly as she finally got a whiff of all the alcohol on him. Her brows furrowed when he started giggling madly.

"There's three of you!" he cried happily. "There's Lucys everywhere," he buried his face in his hands and continued to giggle to himself.

"Great…" Lucy let out disappointed sigh. Gray being drunk hadn't been part of her plan. "Oh well…come with me," her smile returned as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the hall.

"Where are we going?" he grumbled out as he drunkenly stumbled after her.

* * *

"Man," Loke pouted, "where did everyone go to hang out without us, Jellal?"

"You should be glad," the blue haired prince chuckled. "They're all probably off causing trouble somewh-"

He cut himself off with a shout as they rounded a corner and suddenly came face to face with the head of a bear. Loke joined in his shouting, grabbing his older brother's wrist and dragging him back a few steps. Once they had recovered from their initial shock, they realized that it was only a figure with a bear pelt draped over their head and shoulders.

"Please move out of the way," a muffled voice spoke from underneath the pelt, their face still concealed.

Loke suddenly reached forward and tore the pelt off of them, revealing an angry blue haired girl that glared at the pelt that now rested in the orange haired prince's hands.

Jellal was slightly taken aback, "Aren't you Juvia? Juvia Lockser? General Makarov's granddaughter?"

The girl clenched her jaw as she yanked the pelt back, throwing it over her head and shoulders again before shifting her eyes between the two princes. She said nothing as she passed between them.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Yeah, nothing super exciting happened in this chapter, but it sets up for the events of next chapter. But we met Erza and a few others!**

 **Although I think it was pretty clear in the story, I'll give you a bit more information about gisaengs. They were female dancers and musicians that could be hired for entertainment and sometimes for sexual pleasure, but no gisaengs of that sort will appear in Scarlet Heart.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18: A Birthday Celebration Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Wow…" Gray breathed out as he looked around in wonder at the small pavilion Lucy had decorated for him. Colorful lanterns and ribbons were strung from the rafters, fluttering in the soft breeze. A pot of orange daylilies sat on the table, next to the tray of rice cakes she had prepared. Several cartoon-like drawings of her favorite memories of the raven haired prince hung on the pillars of the pavilion. There was one of him holding up his index finger, another of him spinning a rattle drum, and one him falling to ground after his puppet show.

He ran over to them a bright smile on his face, "Are these me?"

Lucy grinned softly, happy that he had sobered up, "Of course."

"You really prepared all of this?" he asked as she placed the party hat she made for him on his head. It was crafted of light pink paper, with various ribbons, cherry blossoms, and tassels pasted across it.

The blonde cleared her throat gently, "Your Highness. Thank you for being my first friend here in Ishgar. After Yukino passed away, I was comforted thanks to you. So I wanted to give you a special gift."

Gray smiled smugly as he sat at the small table, "Well, I am pretty awesome."

Lucy giggled softly before clearing her throat again, preparing herself to sing Happy Birthday to him.

The prince's brows furrowed as she sang, confused by the song. But he hesitantly applauded her when she clapped happily as she reached the end.

The blonde laughed at his expression before repeating the song, this time dancing joyfully around the pavilion. Gray happily joined her, imitating her strange movements with vigor.

This time when she finished, there was much more applause. Lucy's grin faded and embarrassment started taking over when she saw the rest of the royal heirs, minus Laxus, standing just outside the pavilion. Jellal, Loke, Zeref, Sting, and Gajeel came closer while Natsu and Minerva stayed a short distance away. All of the princes had smiles on their faces, or smirks in Gajeel's case. Natsu's grin faded though when he caught Minerva glaring skeptically at him.

"Man, Gray. You're enjoying this all by yourself?" Jellal questioned with a small smile on his face. "I'm hurt that you didn't think to invite the rest of us."

Gray's grin had faded to, an angry pout overtaking his features, "What are you all doing here?"

"Lucy! You're going to sing to me on my birthday, right?" Loke asked excitedly.

Sting laughed as the blonde girl buried her face in her hands, "Jellal's right. You were going to keep this to yourself?"

"You shouldn't exclude me either," Zeref began softly, a gentle smile on his face. "I was the one who asked Court Lady Aquarius to let Lucy have the day off."

"Lucy," Loke came closer to the girl, "can you sing for us again?"

"No, she can't," Gray answered for her, still sporting his angry pout.

The princes began encouraging her.

"Come on, Lucy."

"Yeah, please sing."

Gray protested childishly, "You guys are ruining my present! Go away!"

Their bickering came to stop when Lucy cleared her throat. She smiled nervously at the group, biting her lip before taking a deep breath. She started to sing again, though this time the song was much softer. She had chosen to sing a lullaby that her parents often sung to her when she was little. It spoke of friendship persisting through even the hardest times, and it was one that she held dear to her heart.

Though Lucy's voice wasn't perfect, the princes smiled softly as she sang.

Natsu felt an unknown emotion pass through him as listened to the blonde. He felt almost uncomfortable due to the tingling sensation that spread throughout his body. But after a while it became pleasant, and he couldn't tear his eyes off of the girl.

The princes applauded Lucy as she finished and bowed to them.

"Wow!"

Gray held up his index finger, "You're awesome, Lucy!"

The blonde smiled at them as they began talking boisterously amongst themselves, ' _You should all always get along like this. Who cares about who will become king? Just remember this moment, when you were all smiling happily together. Okay?'_

Lucy's grin faded when she caught sight of Natsu's back as he hurriedly stalked away.

* * *

"I'm looking forward to all of my presents," Gray stated as he happily strutted down the flat bridge that led back to palace. The rest of the group followed behind, all with small smiles on their faces.

"You should be!" Loke exclaimed as he clasped his hands on Gray's shoulders from behind, lifting his leg to lightly knee his brother in butt. The raven haired prince stumbled a bit as Loke wrapped his arms around his chest completely, using his grip to toss his slightly smaller frame around a bit.

"Hey, be careful," Zeref laughed softly as his younger brothers almost went toppling over the edge of the bridge.

"God, they're so annoying. Just let them fall," Gajeel ground out.

Lucy's grin fell as Minerva suddenly turned to stand in her path, a sneer on her lips. The rest of the princes continued to walk on happily, not realizing that the two women were no longer following behind them.

"You can leave now," Minerva stated coldly.

Lucy furrowed her brows, "Excuse me?"

The princess sighed, "You made Gray happy, so your duties as a court lady are fulfilled. You're no longer needed here." The dark haired woman turned to catch up to her brothers, but stopped short when Lucy spoke again.

"I didn't do it because I'm a court lady. Before I was a court lady, Gray and I were-"

The princess cut her off with a sharp laugh, "You're not about to say that you were friends, are you? A prince being friends with a court lady? That's ridiculous. Gray would never stoop so low."

Lucy only clenched her jaw.

"I'm supervising the party, so I'll take it from here. You've done enough, so run along," Minerva smirked.

The blonde sighed softly, "You're the same as always, Your Highness."

The princess' eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"You look at status before you look at the person themselves. You haven't changed one bit since you hit Levy."

The princess sneered, "Do I have any reason to change? I'm being generous with you because of Yukino's passing, but that could change. You should know your place."

The women glared at each other in silence for a moment before a new voice joined in the conversation.

"I said that she could come."

Lucy bowed as Zeref approached them, a slight scowl on his face as he looked at his sister.

Minerva was slightly taken aback, "But, Crown Prince-"

He cut her off, "Gray enjoys Lucy's company, so I allowed her to come as a gift for him."

The princess smiled a bit too sweetly at her older brother, "I see. She even has the consideration of the Crown Prince. She is very lucky." She turned to glare a Lucy over her shoulder before stalking down the bridge to the palace.

Zeref raised a brow as he watched her pass, sighing to himself.

Lucy bowed to him once again, "Thank you, Your Highness."

The dark haired prince's gentle smile returned, "You've seen me in my worst state and you did your best to help. I figured that this is the least I could do to return the favor."

The blonde lowered her voice to an anxious whisper, "I haven't told anyone. I promise."

Zeref chuckled softly, "I know. I trust you. Will you…will you help me in the future when I need it?"

"Of course," Lucy smiled brightly up at him. "If you will allow it, I will help you as much as I possibly can."

* * *

"Wow!" Gray exclaimed as he opened Minerva's present. Two pellet drums rested inside the lavish the box and he ran his fingers across them excitedly.

The royal heirs had gathered back in the dining hall, Laxus joining back with them while Jellal disappeared without telling any of them where he was going. Zeref, Sting, and Laxus had sat back at the table, watching Gray as he excitedly opened his presents. Lucy, Loke, Minerva, and Gajeel stood around the present table, doing their best to avoid getting accidentally smacked by the overjoyed raven haired prince as he began playing with the drums.

"Do you like them?" the princess asked, her eyebrows raising slightly.

"Yes! I like them a lot!"

He had just barely set the drums back into their box when Gajeel practically shoved his present at him.

"Whoa, are these jade?" the raven haired prince asked excitedly as he opened the box to find two small, red dragon statues inside. "They're heavy."

"And they're expensive, so don't go breaking them in the first week, you dumbass," Gajeel ground out. His voice was rough but he had a small smirk on his face.

"A new slingshot, too!"

Gray was testing the band of the slingshot when Loke suddenly cleared his throat and proudly held a small box out to his brother, "This is from me."

The raven haired prince grinned smugly as he accepted it and removed its lid. His smile dropped when he caught sight of its contents, "A…a book?" He grabbed the thick leather bound book and smacked it on Loke's shoulder before tossing it into his orange haired brother's arms, "You know how much I hate reading. What kind of joke is this? I'm gonna shoot you with my slingshot."

"Oh, come on," Loke protested. "This book is very important! It's on martial arts!"

Gray scoffed and went back to testing his new slingshot. He stopped short when something black and furry latched onto his shoulder.

He screamed and stumbled back into Loke when he turned to find a bear head inches from his own. The orange haired prince did his best to stabilize his brother while rest of the party's occupants were startled by his sudden cry.

"Your Highness," a voice breathily called out from under the pelt. A pale hand suddenly reached out from inside to push the bear's head back, revealing a blue haired girl who smiled dreamily as she looked at Gray.

The raven haired prince tentatively looked at the girl, "What are you? The grim reaper?"

Loke suddenly recalled what Jellal said about her earlier, "She's the granddaughter of Grand General Makarov, Juvia."

Said girl suddenly shoved the bear pelt towards the raven haired prince, who stumbled backwards to avoid touching it.

"This fur…" Juvia softly began, "it's for you."

Gray suddenly seemed slightly angry, "So it was _you_ who left bear skins outside of my room to scare me every year?! Why would you do such a thing?!"

"Your Highness, that's not it," the girl's smile faded as she anxiously explained herself. "They were just gifts. Juvia didn't mean to scare you."

She took another step towards him but he backed away again, this time stumbling into Gajeel, who glared his younger brother.

The blue haired girl let out a disappointed sigh as she looked at Gray with yearning on her face before turning to leave, shoving the bear pelt into Loke's arms as she dejectedly stalked away.

The group stared after her with different mixtures of confusion and pity on their faces.

Gray, however, still looked angry, "How could there be someone so frustrating?"

* * *

Natsu sighed to himself as he threw another rock in the water.

The salmon haired prince sat on the bridge that ran over the lake he had brought Lucy to a few days ago, his legs dangling over the edge. He'd been attempting to skip the rocks before, but gave up on his task when he couldn't clear his head enough to focus. He now simply chucked the rocks into the water, finding that it helped ease his slight frustration.

Natsu always prided himself in having control of his emotions. But what he had felt when he watched to Lucy sing earlier was completely foreign to him, and the feeling still tingled through his body. He thought that the sensation should make him uncomfortable, but it only gave him a slight thrill.

He'd felt the same thing as he watched her happily catch snowflakes when they were on the plateau of prayer towers, and when she sat in front of him on his horse as they rode to escape her marriage.

Natsu bit his lip. The blonde was doing things to him, changing him. And he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

There was a soft grunt as someone came to sit beside him.

The fourth prince looked over to see Jellal making himself comfortable on the bridge, dangling his legs over just as his older brother was.

"Why are you here alone again? We should all be together on a day like today," the blue haired prince remarked with a small smile on his face.

Natsu threw another stone into the water, "Then you should go join them. Boisterous events don't suit me."

Jellal let out a light scoff, "Are we brothers for nothing? You have to celebrate with them on days like these. So let's go." When Natsu made no move, the blue haired prince stood and grabbed his older brother's arm. "Come on, let's go."

"No, it's fine."

"I'm not letting you get out of this, so let's go!"

Natsu fought against him for a moment more before giving in with a sigh and letting Jellal drag him to his feet and down the bridge.

* * *

"So, what did Natsu give you?" Laxus asked he drank his tea.

"Nothing." Gray seemed slightly taken aback by the question, but smiled softly, "But that's fine. I'm surprised that our fourth brother came at all."

Laxus smirked, "That's too bad. There's a unique gift that only Natsu could give you. What a waste."

The raven haired prince moved to kneel next to his brother, his brows furrowed, "What do mean there's something that only Natsu could give me?"

The third prince's lips quirked as he leaned to whisper into Gray's ear.

The boy's eyes widened a fraction at what was said to him, "There's no way he would ever do that for me." His gaze suddenly shifted to the blonde girl who had been pleasantly observing the gathering in silence, "Lucy! You're close to our fourth brother. Could you help me get my gift?"

She laughed lightly, "How good of a gift is it that you would have to ask for my help?"

"He won't give it up so easily," Laxus' smirk returned to his face. "It would be good to join together in order to get it."

Lucy's grin faltered. Something wasn't right about the way Laxus was acting.

"That's right, Lucy! You'll have to help me."

She didn't get the chance to respond as the doors to dining hall were suddenly pushed open. Natsu seemed to have a habit of arriving as if on cue. Jellal followed behind him, his brows furrowing as silence filled the room at their entry.

The corner of Natsu's lips quirked slightly as he caught sight of Lucy smiling brightly at him.

Laxus suddenly seemed excited, his ever-present smirk still on his face, "Where have you been? We were all giving Gray his presents."

"Oh," Natsu looked to his younger brother, awkwardly apologizing, "I wasn't able to prepare anything. I'm sorry. But...tell me if there's anything you want. I'll get it for you."

The salmon haired prince cringed slightly at his own words. He'd always found Gray incredibly annoying, and promising him such a thing somewhat hurt his pride. But he'd promised Lucy that he would do his best to get along with his siblings, so he figured making them happy would be a good approach. And despite the envy that he'd felt in years past when he would see them living happily in the palace when he visited, it seemed to Natsu that his care for his family was etched into his very existence.

And no matter how much Gray annoyed him, at the end of the day they were still brothers.

The raven haired prince's eyes widened a fraction, "You would really give me anything?"

"Of course," Lucy answered for him, her bright smile still on her face. "Would the Fourth Prince ever go back on his word? He would find a way to get it for you even if it were precious and hard to find, right?"

She looked to Natsu, her slightly widened eyes trying to convey her hidden message. Natsu's lips quirked as he immediately understood. She was doing the best she could to get him in good standing with his siblings, "Yes, make sure to choose something just like that. I'll find it for you."

Laxus chuckled quietly to himself, pleased that everything was going just as he had hoped it would.

"Then…" Gray hesitantly began, biting his lip nervously and glancing at Laxus before looking back to Natsu. "What I want is…for you to show me your face. Without the mask."

* * *

 **AN**

 **So Laxus is causing trouble again...though he's manipulating Gray to do it...what a punk...**

 **And as I'm sure you picked up on, this wasn't Gray and Juvia's first meeting, but Gray doesn't seem to remember her. Sadly we won't find out more about their past together until quite a bit later. But it's really not as deep as I'm probably making it sound.**

 **In Scarlet Heart Ryeo, the fourth and tenth princes actually have a pretty loving relationship (they're really sweet with each other and the fourth prince is super protective of his younger brother) but I'm doing my best to make their relationship more suitable to Natsu and Gray. Not that those two don't care for each other (because we know that they do) but I don't think the happy, flowery relationship of the fourth and tenth princes from Scarlet Heart Ryeo suits them very well. So I hope I'm doing okay with adding that aspect.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Fourth Prince's Weakness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"Oh," Natsu looked to his younger brother, awkwardly apologizing, "I wasn't able to prepare anything. I'm sorry. But...tell me if there's anything you want. I'll get it for you."_

 _Laxus chuckled quietly to himself, pleased that everything was going just as he had hoped it would._

 _"Then…" Gray hesitantly began, biting his lip nervously and glancing at Laxus before looking back to Natsu. "What I want is…for you to show me your face. Without the mask."_

Everyone's grins faded as Gray stated his request, looking at the raven haired prince in shock. Laxus, however, continued to smirk as he stared at Natsu expectantly.

All emotion had disappeared from the salmon haired prince's face, and his eyes had become unfocused as he stared blankly at his younger brother.

"I…I've only heard rumors about it," Gray started nervously, his eyes downcast to avoid making eye contact with his fourth brother. "I'm just curious. We're brothers, not strangers. So…we should have nothing to hide from each other."

Lucy finally recovered from her shock, "Prince Gray, wait-"

"A meager court lady shouldn't be getting involved," Laxus interrupted coldly as he slammed his teacup onto the table.

Jellal leaned over to whisper to Natsu, "Just ignore them."

The salmon haired prince took in a quick breath before growling out, "You really want to see it?"

Jellal immediately protested, "But Natsu-"

"That's enough," Zeref suddenly cut in. He looked to the tenth prince, "Gray, you should feel ashamed for wanting something like that."

Laxus glared at the Crown Prince as he spoke, but it went unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"He said he'd give me whatever I wanted," Gray suddenly felt slightly defensive. Although it was Laxus that had planted the idea in his head, he couldn't help but be curious about his older brother's scar, and this may be the only chance he would get to see it.

Sting joined in as well, "But Gray, this is clearly crossing the line-"

"Forget it," Natsu's gravelly voice cut in.

The room's occupants collectively held their breath as Natsu placed one hand on his mask, the other reaching around the back of his head to undo the knot that secured it in place. Although the salmon haired prince's unwillingness was apparent, they were all curious, no matter how much they had reprimanded Gray for making such a request.

Jellal was the only one to look away, respectfully turning his head to the side and closing his eyes.

Natsu felt his throat tighten as he let his arm drop back to his side, mask in hand.

Minerva's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped when she caught sight of his scar, the pink and white flesh running in two jagged lines over his left cheekbone and eyelid before coming to an end just off the center of his forehead.

Gray and Loke turned to their focuses away almost immediately, guilt taking over the raven haired prince's features.

Zeref, Gajeel, and Sting only stared at him solemnly for a moment before turning their gazes as well, Zeref with a somewhat pained expression on his face. He'd been the only one of Natsu's siblings present when the prince had gotten the scar, and seeing it brought back unpleasant memories.

Laxus laughed quietly to himself before going back to his tea. Gray had done exactly what he wanted, and the salmon haired prince had followed suit. Natsu always acted so high and mighty, it was about time that he remembered his place.

Lucy was the only one who didn't look away. The first time she'd seen his scar she'd been shocked, but this time her eyes were filled with sorrow. She understood Natsu better now than she had before, and couldn't help but grieve at all of the misfortune that had befallen him. She'd heard the rumors about what he'd been through, and he didn't deserve any of it. It was all because of this damn family and their unquenchable thirst for the throne. And she had a feeling that whatever gave him this scar had something to do with all of that as well.

Natsu's hand tightened around his mask as he took in his siblings' reactions. None of them could even bare to look at him, and he felt his heart drop. He shouldn't have expected anything else, but he had gotten closer to them since he had been staying in the palace and he couldn't help but hope they would see him as something other than a monster.

He made eye contact with Lucy for a short moment, his jaw clenching as he saw the pity in her eyes.

The salmon haired decided to leave once his breathing quickened. He was about to lose it, and he didn't need his siblings seeing him become a true monster.

Lucy ran out after him quickly, her worry clear in her expression.

Laxus laughed openly once they were gone, and his siblings looked at him in slight disgust.

Sting got up and left as well, slamming his teacup on the table as he did so.

Minerva turned to Gray, "Apologize to Natsu right away. You made a big mistake."

The raven haired prince nodded his head softly before turning to glare angrily at Laxus, "You told me to ask for it. Now look at what has happened!"

"I didn't say anything wrong," Laxus smirked. "I told you it'd be a gift you wouldn't forget."

Zeref set his teacup on the table heavily before standing to address all of them, his voice angrier than any of his siblings had ever heard it, "This may a joke to all of you. But that's not how it is for Natsu."

"If he hates it so much," Laxus made his way to standing as well, "he didn't have to take off the mask. He has too much pride. He needed to be reminded of who he is. He doesn't belong with the rest of us."

"How could you say that? He's your little brother. He belongs here just as much as you do," Zeref clenched his jaw, "Everybody has a weakness. Why is it that you're always poking at people to find theirs?"

"I am?" Laxus raised his brows slightly, though his lips were still quirked at the edges. "So, when I pointed out that the Vermillion household, your wife's family, was far too lowly and asked you what nerve you had to continue to stay as Crown Prince, you must have felt offended."

Gray, Jellal, Loke, Gajeel, and Minerva watched the exchange in silence, slightly taken aback by how Laxus was insulting Zeref so openly.

"You speak such words so carelessly," the Crown Prince ground out. "Should I teach you a lesson about why you shouldn't do that?"

* * *

"Your Highness!" Lucy gathered the skirt of her sky blue hanbok in her hands as she ran after Natsu. The prince hadn't responded to her calls, only continuing on with his fast pace. "Your Highness, wait! Wait!" The blonde finally caught up to him and grabbed one of his arms to pull him to a halt.

Natsu turned to her, his jaw clenched as he spat, "Was it not enough? Do you plan on dragging me back so they can play more jokes on me?"

"That's not what happened!" Lucy protested. "You're mistaken."

The blonde tightened her grip when Natsu turned to continue down the porch of the building, "Don't leave! If you leave now, Prince Gray loses his chance to apologize, and you'll grow apart. You're brothers, so reconciliation is always possible, right?"

Natsu suddenly spun his arm in her grip, grabbing tightly at her wrist and using his grasp to pin her against a nearby pillar. Lucy's eyes widened a fraction as he pressed against her.

He leaned in close to her face, his voice slightly broken, "That look in your eyes…I hate it like crazy. So don't ever look at me like that again."

"W-what do you mean?" Lucy shakily breathed out.

"You feel sorry for me. You pity me!" Natsu clenched his jaw, "Did you think I would be grateful for it? Do you know what it feels like to get charity from someone like you?!"

The blonde tentatively dropped her gaze as the prince slowly released his grip on her wrist, though he made no move to back away from her.

"Stay out of my sight. Next time…I don't know what I'll do."

Lucy stayed leaning against the pillar as he stalked away, too shocked by what had just happened to move. This was the first time that she'd felt true fear because of Natsu since that night in the forest with the assassins. And even though he'd just told her not to pity him, she still felt sorrow for him. He'd faced a lot of misfortune in his life, and it was all because of that damn scar.

* * *

Natsu clenched his jaw as Jellal entered Gildarts' study. He'd been laying on the bench of the room's balcony ever since he left Lucy earlier, and now the stars shone above him. He was starting to regret how he'd lost control and treated the blonde in the way that he did. He knew that he should apologize, but enough damage had been done to his pride today. And he still didn't know how he felt about her. He was somewhat nervous when in her presence, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, almost like excitement.

He had succeeded in avoiding his siblings since the party, but it seemed that Jellal had no intentions of letting him hide from them for forever.

The blue haired prince came to lean against the door frame of the balcony, tentatively starting, "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop it. Gray also regrets it a lot, so please don't be angry with him."

Natsu sighed through his nose and closed his eyes, "I noticed that you didn't look at me."

"What?"

"Why did you close your eyes instead of taking a good look at my face?"

Jellal swallowed heavily, "I…I thought that you wouldn't like it if I were to look. Have I offended you?"

The salmon haired prince's lips quirked as he recalled the conversation he'd had with Lucy the night that they encountered each other at the plateau of pray towers, "It really is true that a person's feelings are the most complicated. I feel upset with one person for seeing and upset with another for not seeing." He sighed again, "I can't really figure out my feelings either."

Natsu looked to Jellal with a small smile on his face, "I would like it if you were to always look straight at me, no matter what. We're brothers, and shouldn't be ashamed to show ourselves to each other."

The blue haired prince nodded his head softly, "Of course, Natsu."

* * *

The next morning, Lucy accompanied Aquarius as she helped the King get ready for the day. She handed the blue haired woman various brushes and combs as she twisted Igneel's red hair into a bun at the crown of his head.

"I see that you've become accustomed to the life of a Damiwon court lady already," the King smiled gently as he watched the blonde. He hadn't seen her since she'd slit her wrist in front of him, and he was slightly relieved to see that she was doing well, even if she had disobeyed him.

Lucy bowed to him, "It's all thanks to you, Your Majesty."

"I assume that you're still getting along well with the princes?"

"I'm unable to meet them as often as before," she took a brush from Aquarius and carefully set it back on the table before handing the woman a wooden hair pin.

"I see that you're still intelligent. I'm glad that you know your place."

"This is moxa tea," Lucy informed Grandeeny as she set the pot down on the short table that the Queen was kneeling in front of. The woman was having tea with all of the princes in the dining hall, and the blonde had been placed in charge of serving them.

Lucy looked to Natsu as she moved to serve the group, but he kept his gaze downcast.

"Thank you," Grandeeny replied softly.

Lucy moved to kneel beside Sting next, taking another small pot from her tray and setting it before him, "This is white tea."

The blonde prince smiled softly at her, "Thank you."

"Oh! This is pear juice," Gray suddenly exclaimed after he took a sip of his drink. He grinned brightly at the blonde court lady, "It's my very favorite, Lucy."

"And mine's green tea," Loke remarked. "You must have prepared all of our favorites on purpose."

Lucy bowed to them with a small smile on her face, "I want nothing more than for you all to be happy, so please enjoy."

She moved to give Natsu his tea, having to awkwardly squeeze between him and Laxus to reach his personal table, "This is fresh leaf tea."

"Take it away," the prince started. "This isn't the time for tea."

The peaceful and content atmosphere seemed to vanish at the prince's words and Lucy's grin faded, "Pardon me?"

"There is a drought. I won't sit here and enjoy a lavish life while the people of Ishgar are suffering."

Jellal, Loke, and Gray suddenly set their cups down, slight guilt flashing across their features.

"The fourth prince is correct," Grandeeny admitted, though she seemed slightly upset that she had agreed with him. "There has been a drought since winter ended. The people of this country are crying out to the heavens. We must live simply and show restraint for the time being."

* * *

"Are you sure that you looked into the favor I asked of you?" Lucy asked Jellal worriedly. She had cornered the prince after the gathering, dragging him to a flat bridge where they could talk alone.

"I did," Jellal assured from where he leaned against a nearby pillar with his arms crossed over his chest.

Lucy pursed her lips, "The Fourth prince's favorite drink is fresh leaf tea. His favorite snack is oil and honey pastries. Are you sure that all of that is correct?"

He rolled his eyes, "I told you that I am. And you said that you didn't want it to be too obvious so I went and found out everyone else's favorites as well. I was right about them, wasn't I? So why don't you trust me when I say that I was right about Natsu, too."

The blonde girl immaturely stomped her foot, sighing to herself irritably, "Then why isn't he even touching it? I'm illiterate so I had to study hard to make all of those teas…"

"Ask my brother yourself then," Jellal stated simply. "Ask him what you need to do in order for him to get over his anger."

"I can't even get him to look at me, so how am I supposed to do such a thing?" Lucy bit her cheek, "He seems to have made up with the rest of you. Why is he acting this way to me?"

"That's true," Jellal realized, his brows furrowing slightly as an idea came to mind. "He forgave Gray almost right away…you don't think that Natsu possibly has feel-"

"Yes, I will do you ask," Lucy suddenly cut him off with a bow, her voice becoming a lot more respectful than it had been moments before.

Jellal was confused for a moment, but then he caught sight of the court ladies that were approaching them from behind him. He knew that the blonde didn't want the other servants knowing about her relationship with the princes, feeling like they might hate her for it. Getting caught conversing with a prince in private could also cause unwanted rumors to spread.

The blue prince decided to a have a bit of fun, smirking as he caught Lucy's arm when she tried to leave. He purposely raised his voice so that the group of court ladies could hear, "How are your eyes so pretty even when you're glaring at me?"

Lucy's eyes widened at his words, glancing nervously between the prince and the group of servants, who watched on curiously. She lowered her voice into an anxious whisper, "Are you insane?!"

He used his grip to tug her into his chest so he could whisper into her ear, "This is your punishment for doubting me about Natsu." He pulled back with a pleased smile on his face, grasping her shoulders, "Well, Lucy. I'll see you later, right?" He winked suggestively at her as she pouted up at him, using his grip to spin her and push her toward the group of servants before proudly walking away.

Lucy sighed irritably to herself, "He's trying to kill me. I'm going to die with all of this embarrassment." She looked up to see all of the servants staring at her, some biting their lips to conceal their giggles. The blonde smiled nervously at them, "H-His Highness went too far with his jokes, don't you think?"

One of them suddenly stuck their foot out in front of the blonde and she tripped over it, landing heavily on her forearms as she caught herself.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry about that," the court lady apologized, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The rest giggled as another dumped her basket of laundry over the blonde.

Their laughter ceased as an authoritative voice called out, "What's going on here?"

Lucy looked up to see Aquarius approaching the group, an angry glare resting on her face.

* * *

Lucy grunted softly as her superior dropped another book on top of the stack that she held above her head.

"This one is 'Newly Revised Materia Medica: Pergrande Edition.' It's a medical book on the use of over a hundred medecines. 'Supplement to Materia Medica-'"

"It's a book about many medicinal plants by Chen Cang Qi from the Iceberg Dynasty," Lucy finished, angry tears stinging her eyes as Aquarius plopped the book on top of the small stack. "I've already read it all."

The blue haired woman raised a brow, "Really? Then I'd better give you more books."

Lucy bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the floor as her determination suddenly disappeared.

"Think about what you did wrong as you undergo this punishment," Aquarius commanded coldly as she moved to sit behind her desk. She sighed irritably to herself as she settled into her chair and began stirring the bowl of porridge in front of her, "It's all your fault."

"What?"

"A mere court lady being close to the princes is what's causing all of these problems. So don't talk to the princes or even look their way ever again. If you do that, you won't have to be punished like this anymore."

Lucy became defensive, "I've known the princes since before I entered the palace. I haven't been flirting with or seducing them like others seem to think I am."

Aquarius wasn't swayed, "You're mistaken if you think that relationships last forever. They can be cut off. Look at the scar on your wrist. You ended your relationship to the king with just one cut."

Lucy swallowed heavily as she recalled the memory of that night.

"I won't have the Damiwon in disarray just because of you. So cut off your relationships with the princes," the court lady went back to stirring her porridge.

They sat in silence for a moment before Lucy hesitantly asked, "B-by the way…why is it that you only eat porridge, Court Lady Aquarius? I have never seen you eat a proper meal."

The blue haired woman paused in her action, her eyes becoming slightly unfocused as she replied, "If I consume foods with too much flavor, it's difficult to discern tea flavor."

Lucy nodded her slightly, deciding that the explanation made enough sense.

Aquarius suddenly slammed her hand down on her desk, "Keep your goddamn arms straight!"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20: Sparrow Catching

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Gray sighed irritably as he angrily paced on top of the walls that ran along the palace's perimeter, oblivious to the girl that watched him from behind a nearby pillar.

He pouted to himself, "There's no food because of the drought. There's nothing fun to do because everyone's been so serious lately." He turned to lean over the short wall that ran along the edge of the pathway, shouting over the edge, "This place is so boring!" He kicked the wall angrily, immediately regretting the action when the painful impact seemed to ripple up his entire leg. He reached down to rub it for a moment, hissing in pain when he touched his toes.

The raven haired prince straightened himself out, stumbling back a few steps when a figure seemed to suddenly appear in front of him, "You scared me! Wait a second…aren't you the bear fur girl? Why are you here again?"

The girl's bright smile slowly faded as she started, "J-Juvia…Juvia wants to…Juvia w-wants…" The girl took a deep breath to calm herself, but she only continued to stutter out, "J-Juvia…"

Gray huffed out a breath angrily, "Don't even bother speaking to me if you can't manage to get out a single sentence. Unless you know if there's anything to do for fun, please just go."

The girl's smile returned and she nodded happily. She hesitantly reached to grab his wrist, watching his face the entire time as if asking for permission. He didn't protest, so she gently grasped it and pulled him along behind her as she made her way across the top of the wall.

* * *

Gray bit the tip of his thumb nervously as he stared at the trap that they had set up a short distance in front of them. They had overturned a small basket and propped it up with a stick, placing a few berries underneath as bait.

The raven haired prince sat next to Juvia in the bushes a few feet away, waiting anxiously for the sparrow to arrive.

The girl's focus remained glued to the prince, watching him with a small smile on her face. It'd been years since she'd been with the prince on her own like this, and she was joyfully sucking it all in.

Gray exicitedly turned to her, whispering, "When is the sparrow going to come?"

Juvia only shook her head and held a finger to her lips, softly hushing him.

After a few more moments of silence, the prince started to become impatient. He pouted at her irritably, "Forget this! How long do I have to wait-"

The girl hurriedly grabbed his arm when he moved to stand, her eyes wide and her finger returning to her mouth to quiet him. She gestured towards their trap and the prince smiled brightly when he saw the small sparrow that was curiously making its way towards the berries.

Gray dove for the rope so that he could pull the stick out, but Juvia quickly placed her hands on his, biting her lip and softly shaking her head when the prince looked at her in confusion.

Once his gaze was back on the sparrow, the girl smiled happily to herself, gazing fondly at where her hands rested over his.

Juvia waited until the sparrow was further under the basket before finally pulling the rope back, trapping the animal inside.

"We caught it!" Gray threw his arms triumphantly into the air as he stood and began running down the small hill to get the basket. "We caught it!"

Juvia followed behind him, fondly watching the prince as he knelt down to listen to the bird's chirping through the basket.

She knelt next to him, carefully lifting their trap and hurriedly grabbing the sparrow so that it didn't fly away.

Gray cupped his hands in front of him so that she could place the bird in them, but Juvia was too focused on staring dreamily into the prince's face to notice. She smiled at him happily as she tightened her grip on the bird and quickly snapped its neck.

The prince's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in a gasp as the bird let out its final chirp. He slowly raised his focus to Juvia's face, his eyes quivering slightly.

The girl's grin faded as she caught sight of the change in Gray's expression. She swallowed heavily before hesitantly asking, "How many more should we catch?"

"M-murderer!" the raven haired boy cried as he stood and pointed an accusing finger at the girl. "How could you break the neck of that cute, little thing?" He stomped away angrily after that, childishly fumbling through the tall grass to get back to the palace.

Juvia's brows furrowed as she watched him go, "Did Prince Gray want to eat it alive?"

* * *

Juvia sighed sadly to herself as she cooked the sparrow over the fire she had built in the middle of the meadow. Makarov had joined her just after Gray had left, and she had no doubt that her grandfather had seen what had happened with the prince.

"You're burning it," the old man pointed out.

Juvia made no move to pull the bird out of the flame.

Makarov sighed deep his throat, deciding to try and comfort his granddaughter, "What kind of man can't even catch a bird? What use is he? You should just forget about Prince Gray."

The blue haired girl's pout only deepened, "He doesn't need to be able to catch them because Juvia can catch them for him."

"Then how will he protect his wife and children?" the old man's voice rose in volume slightly.

Juvia looked over at her grandfather and simply murmured, "Juvia can protect us."

Makarov let out a heavy breath, his shoulders slumping slightly, "I suppose you don't want to change your mind, do you?"

The girl only glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "Juvia only has one path."

* * *

Sting slowed to a stop when he caught sight of the banner that had been strung across the palace's gates, preventing them from being opened. His eyes widened a fraction when he read the message posted on it.

' _We will be holding a rain ritual soon. The Damiwon is closed in preparation.'_

* * *

Lucy rubbed the knuckles of her fist in circles against the junction of her neck and shoulder, trying to relieve that area of the soreness that'd built up over a long day of work. The court ladies of the Damiwon palace had been working tirelessly to prepare for the rain ritual, stringing up lanterns and prepping food for the offering table.

The blonde decided to go straight to bed after the exhausting day she'd had, too exhausted to do much else.

She paused in her task of laying out her blankets when a paper fell from the folded stack. She picked it up and unfolded it curiously. Only two characters were written on the parchment, but she easily recognized the handwriting as Sting's.

"Yok Hyul," she named them off. "'Yok' as in 'washing', and 'Hyul' as in 'hole'…so 'washing hole'?"

Lucy furrowed her brows as she contemplated what the prince was telling her. But it was only a moment before she understood and was rushing through the palace to meet him.

* * *

Sting looked curiously around the cave that lay just outside the royal spring. It was his first time seeing the place, and it was breathtaking. Dozens of lit candles rested in the nooks of the cave's walls, and wooden supports were scattered about the small area. There were several wood bridges running over the small stream that wound its way throughout the cave, and his foot falls on them echoed loudly throughout the cavern.

This was the only entrance to the palace that hadn't been blocked off, though he was sure that it was left open because only a few knew of its existence.

Sting was pulled out of his awed state when a soft voice called, "Your Highness."

He turned to find Lucy standing a few a few feet away. She looked exhausted, but still managed to smile to the prince before her.

"Lucy," Sting greeted, a gentle smile on his face as well.

"I totally forgot about this place."

"Levy told me about it." The prince shortened the distance between them, "I told her that I was frustrated because I couldn't see you. But…I wonder how a place like this even came to exist. Though I suppose I'm very lucky that it does. I wouldn't be able to meet with you today otherwise."

Sting helped Lucy sit on the edge of one of the bridges before plopping down next to her himself.

"You know…if you continued down this cave that way for a short distance, you'd be outside the palace. Don't you want to leave?"

Lucy bit her lip, "I suppose so. All I need to do is take a few steps. I miss Levy…and I want to go to the market. I want to visit Yukino, too." The blonde girl shifted her gaze to Sting before continuing, "Prince Natsu told me something when I first entered the palace as a court lady. He said that no matter where I run, I'll always be in the palm of the King's hand. There's nowhere in Ishgar that I can escape the eyes of the King."

Sting swallowed heavily, solemnly replying, "He's right. There's no place his power cannot reach."

Lucy gave him a reassuring smile, "The Damiwon Palace suits me well though. Until the time comes for me to be allowed to leave the palace officially…I'll work hard and live well."

The prince sighed, but hope quickly returned to his expression, "If there is rain after the ritual, the King will grant favors to celebrate. He may pardon a criminal or allow a royal marriage. Or…" the prince looked directly at her as he finished his statement, "he may allow a court lady to leave her service."

"What?" Lucy asked softly, her eyes widening a fraction. "Leave service?"

"If the rain falls, I'll request that you leave the palace."

The blonde girl smiled hopefully, "Then, would I be able to go back to your home again, Your Highness?"

"Of course," Sting laughed softly as he reached into her lap to lightly grasp one of her hands. "When you come, I'll find all the medicinal herbs in Magnolia and buy you whatever else you need to make soap. I'll fill the house with them."

Lucy giggled to herself, "Then…I'll pray for it to rain. It has to."

* * *

The next morning, Zeref had asked Lucy to come to his room in private so that she could help him with his itchy skin. She had just finished applying the paste, and was putting her herbs away in a small basket when Gildarts entered to help the Crown Prince strap on his armor.

"You must never scratch them," the blonde gently urged. "And remember not to use cold water."

Zeref nodded his head softly, "I'm off to catch groups of thieves that have appeared since the drought started. I won't have water to wash with anyways."

"Lady Lucy," Gildarts started. "I'm sure that you know, but you must keep quiet about this."

"Of course. I snuck out on my own. So don't worry."

Zeref smiled pleasantly at her, "I left a necklace on your desk in your room at the Damiwon. It's to repay you for all that you've done for me."

"Oh…thank you," she bowed to him.

Natsu suddenly entered the room, glancing at Lucy for only a second before turning his gaze to his older brother, "We're ready to go."

"Then let us not delay our departure any longer."

Zeref and Gildarts exited the room swiftly, and Lucy followed after them, biting her lip as she bowed to Natsu when she passed him.

She didn't follow after the Crown Prince and astronomer for long, choosing to go back to the supply room of the palace to return what she had taken before anyone noticed.

Lucy was slightly taken aback when a senior court lady and two lower servants appeared at the end of the hall she was walking down. No one should have been up this early in the morning, at least none of the court ladies.

She bowed to them as they got closer to her, but they didn't walk past like she'd expected.

Her basket was suddenly yanked from her hands, and the two lower court ladies each grasped one of her arms, pulling her roughly down the hall.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked, panic starting to take over. She struggled against them, but her small frame was no match for the two grown women, whose grips were like stone. "Let me go! Where are you taking me?"

They dragged her outside the Damiwon, throwing her forward when they reached a small pavilion that rested on the edge of the palace's grounds.

Lucy's eyes widened when she caught of who was waiting there for her.

"Y-Your Highnesses," the blonde bowed nervously to the Queen and her son, Laxus. They both smirked at her obvious distress.

Grandeeny raised a brow, "Where have you been?"

"I…I was off running an errand," Lucy anxiously replied. Not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth.

"Cut the crap," Laxus started coldly. "You were with Zeref, weren't you?"

The blonde girl swallowed heavily, "I only went to say goodbye to the Crown Prince before he left to fight the rebellion."

Laxus chuckled cruelly to himself, "Why do you have so many herbs with you when you were just saying goodbye?"

"Well, that's…" Lucy trailed off as the basket was placed on the ground between her and the two royals.

The servant who had previously held the basket explained, "They are all precious items that shouldn't be outside the Damiwon."

Laxus turned his cold gaze back to Lucy, who curled into herself in discomfort, "Did the Crown Prince tell you to bring all of this?"

The blonde court lady anxiously shook her head, "No, that's not it…I had an errand to run elsewhere and I stopped by to see the Crown Prince off."

"Then," Grandeeny started with a smirk on her face, "what are all of these precious medicines being used for?" The queen shortened the distance between herself and Lucy, leaning in to her face as she asked, "Is the Crown Prince ill?"

Lucy's suspicions were right. They were trying to get information about Zeref's ailment out of her.

The blonde girl lowered her gaze to the floor, trying to avoid the glares of the queen and her son. "I don't know anything," she replied, her voice meek.

"You don't know?" The queen reached around to yank at the blonde's ponytail roughly, forcing her to meet her gaze, "You dare to test me?"

Lucy wanted to fight back. But this was the Queen, and doing so would undoubtedly result in being executed.

The blonde felt like crying in relief when a voice called out, "Let her go!"

They looked over to see Aquarius bowing to the Queen, a group of court ladies filed into two lines behind her.

The blue haired court lady remained bent over in a bow as she began, "She's returning from the Cheondokjeon Palace under my orders."

"Cheondokjeon Palace?" Grandeeny repeated skeptically. The Queen roughly released her hold on Lucy, shoving her away before turning to face the senior servant, "Court Lady Aquarius, you're mocking me by thinking I would buy into such an obvious lie."

The blue haired court lady finally straightened herself out, her expression unreadable, "His Majesty's knees have been hurting as he kneeled in prayer to ask for rain. I sent her to give him an ointment as a form of treatment."

Lucy felt her heart swell with gratitude for Aquarius. The blue haired woman hadn't been the most kind to her, but the blonde knew that she always had good intentions. She cared deeply for all of her court ladies, no matter how much she scolded them.

"It is the law of this land to not speak of the King's weaknesses," Aquarius continued. "I'm only informing you so that this misunderstanding doesn't grow any larger." The blue haired court lady bowed to the Queen again as she finished her statement.

Grandeeny raised a brow. Although the explanation made perfect sense, she was still suspicious, "Why would you send this child instead of going to treat the king yourself? She hasn't been at the Damiwon long, yet you send her to take care for the ruler of our nation?"

Aquarius held the Queen's gaze, her voice unfaltering as she stated, " _I'm_ the one in charge of maintaining the wellbeing of the royal family. I see no problem with sending Lucy to treat the King. Despite her lack of manners, she has talented hands and a vast knowledge of medicinal herbs. But if you're doubting my judgement, My Queen, then next time I will leave the King's injuries to you."

* * *

Grandeeny angrily pushed past the servants that stood outside of her room, not even giving them a chance to move out her way in her hurry. She needed to let out her frustration at how Aquarius had acted towards her earlier. She couldn't ask the King to punish her, he held her in high favor and he was still warry of his wife after the attempt on Zeref's life. So she threw the doors to her room open, wanting to let out her anger in solitude.

Her plan was foiled when she caught sight of Natsu waiting for her, standing before her bed with his hands clasped in front of him. He bowed his head to her in greeting.

Grandeeny clenched her jaw, "What are you doing here?" Her son's presence had always brought her discomfort, but after that night when he came into her room, covered in blood and speaking of how he had murdered over a dozen men, she had started to fear him.

Natsu's lips quirked slightly at the corners before he became stoic once more, "Don't be nervous. I'm not planning on staying for long."

"I can't stand being in the same room as you for even a second. So get out," the queen gathered her skirt in her hands as she made her way up the steps to her bed, seating herself on it heavily and turning to glare at her son.

He lifted a brow, "Why? Are you afraid that I come baring news of the people I've killed, like last time?"

"No. I have no thoughts like that." Grandeeny's lips pulled back in a sneer, "There's no smell of blood today. Only the smell of a monster."

Natsu sighed heavily, "No matter how much you hate Court Lady Aquarius, you should have maintained your dignity as a queen. If you make noise in the Damiwon like that again, people will surely start to gossip about how you couldn't even let a young court lady get away with a simple mistake."

"What?" Grandeeny's eyes widened slightly, surprised that her son knew of what had happened earlier.

The salmon haired prince's expression became cold, "And if you treat Lucy like that again, I won't stand idly by. So please, show yourself some respect."

* * *

 **AN**

 **So we got a tiny bit of Nalu at the end...There will be more interactions in coming chapters, and maybe even a little development in their relationship ;)**

 **The next chapter will start with the conversation between Lucy and Aquarius after this whole situation with Grandeeny.**

 **A quick clarification:** **The Cheondokjeon Palace was a separate palace meant specifically for the king. It's more like just a separate building rather than an entirely different palace though. It still rests within the walls that surround the main palace, the Damiwon.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21: Chosen by the Heavens

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Court Lady Aquarius," Lucy jogged to catch up to her superior, who was walking at very slow pace, an arm wrapped her waist, seemingly in discomfort. "I never really go to say this earlier, but thank you for stepping in. I don't know what I would have said to the Queen if you hadn't shown up. What actually happened was-"

She was cut off as Aquarius' hand suddenly flew out to slap her cheek. With the blow, Lucy accidentally dropped the basket in her hands, the teacups falling to shatter across the stone path they were walking on.

The blonde tentatively reached up to run her fingers over her cheek, her eyes wide with surprise at what her superior had just done.

"I told you to stay away from the Crown Prince. There's no end to your arrogance. I never should have taken you in. I regret it."

Lucy hesitantly looked up at Aquarius's face. Her expression was fierce, but her eyes seemed slightly pained.

Her superior wasn't telling her something, but the blonde had no idea as to what it was.

A single tear slipped from Lucy's eye, her irritation at the unfairness of this place and time rising as she shakily breathed out, "Court Lady Aquarius. What…what have I done so wrong? You make medicinal herbs for the Crown Prince. So why is it so wrong when I do it? I know how to help him, so I can't just ignore him. You lecture me and punish me more than any other court lady. I can't figure out why, no matter how much I think about it!"

Aquarius clenched her jaw, her eyes beginning to quiver slightly, "You don't know what the palace is like!"

"No, I don't know," Lucy admitted, her voice slightly choked with her growing fury. "So why don't you teach me instead of expecting me to know what to do and then punishing me when I get something wrong?! I…" more angry tears began streaming down her cheeks, "I feel like all of this is so unfair. I'm always trying so hard to just get through all of this…So why is it that you hate me so much?!"

All of the resentment disappeared from Aquarius' face, and her voice was uncharacteristically weak as she clenched her hand in front of her stomach and breathed out, "Because when I look at you…I'm reminded of myself."

Lucy couldn't help but be taken aback when tears began streaming down her superior's face.

The blue haired court lady inhaled shakily, her expression uncharacteristically solemn, "You trust others and help people without fearing the consequences. A girl like you…shouldn't be trapped in this palace. A girl like you could be killed without hesitation for her kindhearted actions. That's why…that's why I can't let you make mistakes. I-"

Aquarius cut herself off with a restrained whimper as she suddenly fell forward onto her knees, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Court Lady Aquarius!" Lucy's eyes were wide as she hurriedly kneeled next to her superior, catching her upper body as the woman lost consciousness. "Court Lady Aquarius! H-help! Somebody help!"

* * *

When Lucy entered Aquarius' room later that evening, the woman was awake and seemed to be in less pain.

The blonde smiled gently at her as she set her tray on the table next to the bed, "Are you feeling better?"

"What happened?"

Lucy tentatively sat next to the woman, "You had severe stomach pains, so you lost consciousness. The doctor snuck out of the Cheondokjeon Palace to see you."

"He did?" Aquarius swallowed heavily, "Does anyone else know?"

The blonde shook her head, "Don't worry. I'll keep it a secret." She reached for the small table and pulled it so that it rested in front of Aquarius, "This is pine nut porridge. The doctor said that it helps with stomach pains and should be alright to eat. He also said that you should eat more than just plain porridge from now. Your stomach pains were caused by your lack of proper meals."

"I'm alright," the woman started, her eyes avoiding Lucy's. "So you can leave."

The girl grinned softly, "I'm not leaving just yet. I'm going to stay and make sure you finish eating. I'll only go once it's all gone."

"Don't be stubborn. I'm your superior, and I told you to leave. So go."

Lucy shook her head again, "Speaking to me like that won't work."

Aquarius quirked a brow, "What?"

The blonde sighed, picking up the bowl of porridge and a wooden spoon, "I know why you treated me the way that you did all this time. You were worried that I'd make a mistake and be executed…and you treated the cut on my wrist. You said that I remind you of yourself, Court Lady Aquarius. You've been able to survive in this palace for so long, so…I'll follow your example, and be very careful, just like you," she smiled brightly at her superior. "And maybe you could learn something from me then in exchange. You should learn to depend on others when you can't carry your burdens yourself. It's okay to be weak sometimes…that's what makes us human."

Lucy held the bowl out to Aquarius, "Please eat." When the woman only gave her a blank stare, the blonde pursed her lips, "Come on. My arm hurt so much from grinding up the pine nuts."

Aquarius accepted the bowl with a small laugh. She choked slightly after taking her first spoonful, "You call this porridge?"

Despite its imperfections, the court lady finished the porridge, not leaving even a drop behind.

* * *

Loke watched on worriedly as his father shakily made his way to a standing position, only to lower himself to kneel before the small temple once again.

The King had been repeating the action for hours, the sun beating down on him mercilessly the entire time. Igneel was growing old, and Loke knew that his body wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

But Igneel was a King devoted fully to his people, and they were in desperate need of rain. So he repeated his prayer over and over, pleading with the heavens to send them relief.

Loke rushed to steady his father when the King suddenly faltered as he tried to stand.

"Your Majesty, why don't we let one of princes take your place?" Gildarts suggested eagerly from his spot among the royal advisors that had accompanied the King to the temple. "If one whose energy overflows with water were to lead the ritual, the people would surely understand."

Igneel leaned heavily on Loke as he shakily breathed out, "The Crown Prince is gone…so who would be worthy of such a task?"

* * *

"The King has ordered each of you to place the plaques with your names inscribed on them in this vase. His Majesty will draw one from it, relying on the will of the heavens to guide the correct plaque into his hand, and the prince whose plaque is chosen by the heavens will lead the rain ritual," Gildarts informed the princes, a pleasant smile on his face. "There will be no objections, though I can't imagine why there would be any. To conduct the rain ritual is a great honor, and you should feel proud to have been allowed the opportunity."

There was a loud clanking sound as Gajeel violently dumped his wooden plaque inside the vase, glaring at Gildarts the entire time.

The astronomer only continued to smile pleasantly at him as he remarked, "Oh, Prince Gajeel. You were born in the year of the dog. A worthy candidate."

The Ninth Prince only sighed irritably through his nose before stomping away.

Gray stepped up to the table next, clutching his wooden plaque nervously as he leaned in close to the astronomer, his eyebrows furrowed as he pleaded, "Gildarts, can't you just leave me out?"

"Pardon?"

"I…I don't like being included in these things. What if I'm picked and people criticize me? That wouldn't be fun at all…"

"Gray, life can't always be easy," Sting took his younger brother's plaque from his hands, dropping it into the vase along with his own. The raven haired prince stared after his plaque sadly, a pout forming on his face as Sting dragged him away by his arm.

Jellal sighed heavily as his plaque joined the others, "Regardless of who's picked, rainfall is what's most important."

"I wasn't old enough to remember the last time the King held a rain ritual. What happens if it doesn't rain?" Loke asked curiously as he dropped his own plaque into the vase.

Laxus smirked, chuckling to himself, "You die. That's what happens."

The orange haired prince's eyes widened, "Die?"

"Before this nation was founded, the people killed the royal family themselves if they were unhappy with their way of life," Laxus stated coldly as he slid his plaque into the vase. "It is said that they were used as sacrifices, and the people offered their blood in exchange for a downpour. So if you're picked and you don't succeed in bringing the rain…you'll be slaughtered for sure."

Laxus' smirk only grew as he saw the fear that surfaced in some of his brothers' expressions, particularly Gray and Loke's.

"G-Gildarts!" the raven haired prince ran over to the astronomer, clutching onto the sleeve of the man's hanbok desperately. "You have to take my name out!"

"If it really is like Laxus said," Gajeel began, his expression uncharacteristically showing slight concern, "the whole nation will be angry if it doesn't rain…so how can we survive that?"

The room's occupants were all solemn after his question, none daring to answer it. Even Laxus' amusement at his brothers' fear faded as he allowed his thoughts to be consumed by the fact that he, too, was at risk.

They sat in unsettled silence for a moment before Natsu thoughtfully remarked, "It won't rain because of the rain ritual…you perform the rain ritual until it rains." They all looked to him with furrowed brows as he continued, "A person can't control the will of heavens. You just need to make it look that way."

* * *

All of the King's royal advisors had accompanied Igneel to the temple once again, though they remained at the base of the stairs that led up to the small structure, their heads bowed respectfully as the King prayed in preparation.

The princes stood in two lines along the sides of the stairs, waiting nervously for the King to rise and draw a wooden plaque from the vase that Gildarts held in his arms.

There was a collective intake of breath as Igneel finally stood, and the astronomer carefully removed the lid of the vase, bowing his head as the King reached inside.

Some of the princes watched on solemnly, their expression showing only acceptance. But others, like Gray and Gajeel, seemed to be praying to the heavens that that their plaque wouldn't be picked.

When the plaque became visible as he withdrew his hand, Igneel clutched his fingers around it tightly, unsure of how to feel about the name that was written on it.

He breathed out heavily as he turned to face his sons, his eyes zeroing in on the prince that the heavens had chosen, "Fourth Prince, Natsu."

The princes all looked to said prince, different mixtures of surprise, gratitude, pity, and envy on their faces.

"W-what?" Natsu's eyes widened a fraction, his expression otherwise blank. He couldn't fathom why the heavens chose him. The people of Ishgar saw him as a demon, but now he was expected to save them from their suffering.

The King's advisors seemed to be in disbelief as well, muttering amongst themselves as they looked between Igneel and Natsu.

"It is heavens' will," the King stated, "Tomorrow, we will hold the rain ritual, and you will lead it."

* * *

Natsu and Gildarts remained at the temple long after everyone else had left, Natsu to do some praying of his own and Gildarts to keep the Fourth Prince company.

"Does it make any sense that I was chosen?" Natsu suddenly asked, his hands fisting in the skirt of his hanbok as he kneeled in front of the temple.

"I suppose the heavens felt that you were necessary," Gildarts' lips quirked in a small smile. "There's no need to worry, Your Highness. And it isn't good to doubt yourself."

The salmon haired prince sighed heavily, acceptance flashing across his face, "You're right. I was chosen by the heavens…so I should be fine."

Despite Gildarts' reassurances, Natsu couldn't help but still feel unnerved at the prospect of leading the rain ritual as Laxus' words from earlier resurfaced in his mind.

 _"Before this nation was founded, the people killed the royal family themselves if they were unhappy with their way of life. It is said that they were used as sacrifices, and the people offered their blood in exchange for a downpour. So if you're picked and you don't succeed in bringing the rain…you'll be slaughtered for sure."_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Oooo...some exciting stuff is coming up! The next five or six chapters contain some of my favorite moments from the show, including the rain ritual. So I'm very excited for you all to read them!**

 **I think everything in this chapter was pretty clear, but let me know if you would like me to clarify something that doesn't quite make sense. I've been immersed in Korean culture for a while and I've seen Scarlet Heart Ryeo several times, so I'm not always positive about what I should explain because it's all so familiar to me. Plus, I could talk about this show and even just Korea in general for days, so don't be afraid to ask me questions! I'll do my best to answer them without spoiling anything :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22: Nothing More Than A Demon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu breathed heavily to calm his nerves as his palanquin was carried through the village. He had never been afraid of the villagers before, even somewhat relishing in the fact that they fled at the very sight of him.

But now, as he looked at them through the sheer, white canopy of the palanquin, he couldn't help but feel unnerved. They were desperate, and he knew better than anyone what a human would resort to doing when pushed to the brink.

If it didn't rain, he would surely be slaughtered.

No matter how strong Natsu was, he couldn't fend off this many people. And he had no doubt that the royal advisors and servants would feel fury of their own if there was no rain, and they would do little to protect him if there was such an uprising.

Not that they would protect him in a dire situation otherwise. Natsu was positive that they still loathed him despite his attempts at gaining a good standing in the palace.

The rain ritual had come faster than he would have liked, and he wished he'd been given more time to prepare himself for such a feat. But the people were in desperate need of water, and that was even more apparent now that he was being carried through the streets of the village. A multitude of villagers with various pots and bowls stood along the edges of the street, their eyes closed and their hands clasped in prayer as they begged the heavens for rain.

Natsu was grateful that their eyes were shut. If they were to catch sight of him, there would surely be a protest against him being the prince to perform the ritual.

"The Fourth Prince?!"

Natsu mentally cursed the villager that had opened his eyes and ruined his chance of being carried into the temple without hindrance. He'd been so close, the temple gates rested only thirty feet away.

The prince tightened his fists in the skirt of his white ceremonial hanbok, clenching his jaw as the villagers all turned their gazes to him.

They murmured amongst themselves as the royal servants set the palanquin down, allowing Natsu to slip out from the inside. He was expected to walk the rest of way, and pass through the temple gates with only Gildarts at his side. The astronomer had been walking in front of the palanquin, wearing a white hanbok as well. He carried a palm leaf and a vase of water in his arms, items that were necessary for the rain ritual.

Natsu took the items from Gildarts, carrying the vase in the crook of his left elbow and using his right hand to dip the palm leaf inside. He then flicked his wrist out, sprinkling water droplets across his path.

The prince thought that the action was stupid and pointless, but it was a traditional part of the ritual.

Natsu repeated the action as he continued towards the gates with Gildarts in his stead, sighing deeply to himself as the villagers began to protest.

"How could this be?"

"Why is it _him_ of all people?"

One villager in particular was far louder than the others, stepping out into the prince's path and pointing an accusing finger as he shouted, "How can a man in a mask be the master of the ritual?! Your appearance will anger the heavens!"

The man's wife joined in his jabbing, "He's a demon, not a person! He'll only bring us bad luck!"

Natsu ignored them, keeping his gaze in front of him as he moved steadfastly forward. He walked with a fast pace, brushing past the couple that stood in his path.

That was when the first rock hit his right temple.

He grimaced as he reached up to press his hand against the wounded flesh, crouching forward when more projectiles were thrown his way. The villagers threw whatever they could get their hands on, some picking up rocks and dirt, while others sent their bowls to smash against him.

Natsu quickened his pace, desperate to get out of the uprising.

* * *

The rest of the royal family waited in the temple's courtyard, along with the palace's servants. They faced the steps that led up to the altar at which the ritual would be performed, waiting for Natsu to arrive and fulfill his responsibility. All were dressed in white, their ceremonial hanboks spotless and slightly reflecting the shining sun.

Igneel and Grandeeny rested in the center of the front line of the group, seated in gold thrones that had been transported from the palace. The princes and Minerva stood in a line to the left of the rulers, and the King's most trusted advisors stood on the right. The rest of the servants stood in rows behind the royals, with the court ladies standing on the edges of the group.

Lucy was among them, tugging at the collar of her hanbok as she grew hot from standing in the sunlight for so long.

Everyone's gazes turned to the gates as villagers suddenly crowded around the opening, struggling against the guards that formed a line to hold them back.

"Your Majesty, hear our pleading!"

"Give us a prince worthy of the heavens! Not this demon!"

"How could you do this to us?!"

A figure suddenly flew out the crowd and past the guards, stumbling for a few steps before the falling to the ground just inside the gates. They dropped the vase in their arms so they could catch themselves and it shattered across the stone path.

Lucy's eyes widened as she recognized the figure's salmon hair, although it was matted with dirt and even blood near his right temple. The brown substance also tarnished his white hanbok, smearing brutally across the once pure fabric.

In addition to the blood and dirt, his entire appearance was in a state of disarray. His hair was falling from his ponytail and his hanbok had been stretched loose in a few areas, almost as if they had been harshly grasped and tugged on.

As Natsu finally raised his head, he immediately looked to Lucy.

The blonde inhaled sharply as his gaze connected with hers. Even with the distance between them, Lucy could easily see the tears gathering in his eyes.

He didn't hold her gaze for long, scanning his eyes over the rest of the crowd, particularly his family.

Grandeeny and Laxus both had smirks on their faces, clearly enjoying Natsu's pitiful appearance.

Igneel wasn't even looking at him, instead choosing to bow his head and close his eyes.

The rest of his siblings had different mixtures of surprise and pity in their expressions. Sting and Jellal's faces also showcased worry, but they made no move to help him as he shakily stood.

Natsu's features quickly shifted to rage as he took in everyone's expressions. He hated it when people treated him like he was a monster. But recently, he'd discovered that he hated it even more when people pitied him.

He looked to Lucy once more, clenching his fists when he saw that she had dropped her gaze to the ground. He suddenly took off running, disappearing into one of the doors that led inside the walls on the perimeter of the temple's courtyard.

Jellal tried to follow, but Loke held him back with a firm grasp on his arm.

Lucy stared after him, her brows furrowed in concern.

Natsu had suffered again because of his scar, and the blonde couldn't understand why the people couldn't see past it. She knew that the prince wasn't a demon, but he was never given a chance to show the people his true character.

Lucy bit her lip as an idea suddenly came mind. She knew how to help him, if only he would let her.

* * *

Natsu practically ran back to the palace, escaping the temple grounds through a back entrance. He didn't slow his pace until he had climbed the stairs to Gildarts' study, breathing heavily as he stood in the center of the room.

He suddenly stripped himself of the top layer of his hanbok, throwing the dirt-smeared garment to the floor with an angry shout. He raged around the room, furiously sweeping books off tables and pushing furniture over.

The villagers were right. No matter he much he tried, he would never be anything more than a monster.

* * *

Grandeeny laughed pleasantly to herself as she poured Laxus' tea. Her son sat across from her as they talked about what had happened earlier.

"I told you that an opportunity would arise if you were patient," the Queen remarked. "The rain ritual is an optimal time to change the Crown Prince. You must not let this chance pass."

Laxus' lips quirked at the edges, "I've already sent thieves to stop the Crown Prince on his way home. It'll be difficult for him to return for the time being." He poured his mother some tea as he shifted the topic, "Natsu doesn't even blink an eye when he kills. Yet, he falls apart so easily when you mention his face. I really do think that he is someone who the heavens have turned their back on."

"I truly wonder what the King and Gildarts were thinking when they chose him."

"Chose him? How could they have known who to choose? The selection was random."

The Queen quirked a brow, "Do you really believe that the heavens can move people? That's nonsense. People move the heavens. That is the very purpose of the rain ritual. Whoever leads it and brings about rain will have the heavens on their side." Grandeeny smiled coyly at her son, "That's why you must be the master of the rain ritual. Natsu has been deemed unworthy by the people, so take his place. And take hold of Ishgar."

* * *

Lucy couldn't find Natsu anywhere in the Damiwon, so she ran off to the lake, positive that she would find him there. She hadn't seen him since yesterday, when he'd stumbled into the temple's courtyard, dirt covered and in a complete state of disarray.

There was going to be another attempt at the rain ritual today, and it had been announced that Zeref would take Natsu's place as master. But the Crown Prince hadn't returned to the palace yet, so there was still a chance for the fourth prince.

Despite the fact that he'd been somewhat ignoring her as of late, Lucy still wanted to help him. He didn't deserve to be held back by his scar, and she knew just how to fix his problem.

Natsu was at the lake just she thought he would be, seemingly taking a nap in a small rowboat that'd been secured in a small cove underneath the shade of a nearby tree.

"Y-Your Highness?" Lucy hesitantly called to the prince, but he made no move. She carefully made her way around the small cove, trying to get to the point where the boat was most easily accessible. She gathered her skirt in her hands as she had climb over various roots and rocks to do so, muttering to herself, "When did he put this thing here?"

She carefully stepped onto the boat, and it rocked a bit with her movement.

Natsu's eyes remained closed, his head and feet resting on the seats of the boat and his arms folded over his chest.

"A-are…are you asleep?" Lucy asked gently as she tentatively made her way over the seat that his feet were resting on.

The boat rocked unsteadily again as she settled next to Natsu's waist, and she couldn't gain her balance as the rocking grew stronger. Her arms flailed wildly as she began to teeter over the edge.

A hand suddenly latched firmly around her wrist and pulled her in the opposite direction, saving her from tipping into the water and sending her falling straight onto Natsu's chest.

The salmon haired prince instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she landed, his heart beginning to beat wildly as her weight settled on top of him.

Lucy's heart was sporadically pounding away too, and her cheeks grew warm as she stared into Natsu's onyx orbs with wide eyes.

The prince seemed just as surprised at their position as she did, his expression mirroring her own.

After a few moment of silence, Lucy carefully placed her hands on Natsu's chest to push herself up and scoot away so that her back was pressed against the edge of the seat where the prince's feet still rested.

She averted her gaze, looking anywhere but at him as she nervously cleared her throat. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her knees to pull them her chest as she hesitantly asked, "Why are you hiding out here? You should get going, the rain ritual is going start soon. You can't let the Crown Prince take your place, and everyone must be really worried about you by now. Gray said that you haven't shown up to anything since yesterday."

Natsu sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he settled back into his previous positon, "I don't want to bother with it."

"You shouldn't think about what happened yesterday too much." Lucy carefully shifted her gaze back to the prince, "Everyone's just desperate to survive. They'll forget about it soon."

Natsu's tone grew a little harsh, "I told you very clearly that I didn't want pity from you. So don't bother."

Lucy sighed heavily, anxiously playing with the hem of her skirt in the silence that followed Natsu's statement.

The prince opened his eyes again, gazing up through the leaves of the tree that shaded them. He swallowed heavily before asking, "Do you know the reason why you were born?"

"What?"

"Have you ever tried to figure out why you born into a world like this?"

The blonde nodded her head softly, "Yes, I have. I think about that a lot these days."

Natsu slowly tilted his head towards her, raising a brow as he asked, "You do?"

"Yeah…but there's no answer. At least not one that I can see." Lucy rested her chin on her knee, a slough pout forming, "I didn't end up here because I wanted to. But I'm going to make sure that I'm the one in charge of how I live my life. I'm not going to let my current circumstances hold me back. That's what I've decided."

Natsu shifted his gaze off her again, contemplating her words. She truly was weird and thought differently, but she had a point.

"No one in this world has an easy life," Lucy remarked. "Some people are just better at hiding it than others." The blonde sighed heavily, "What you went through yesterday will pass. I promise it will."

Natsu closed his eyes, his lips quirking at the corners in a small smile, "You're young, yet you pretend to know everything about the world. It's really annoying."

* * *

Gildarts paced worriedly in front of the desk that Natsu had seated himself at, "The people will be angered if the rain ritual is delayed any longer…but Prince Zeref hasn't returned yet."

The salmon haired prince sighed heavily. He'd just gotten back from hearing Lucy pester him about the ritual, and didn't feel like being reminded of it again. "Just give him a little more time."

"We can't afford more time." The astronomer came to a halt and turned to face Natsu, "I'll just have to go out and find the Crown Prince myself. Please do what you can to appease the people in the meantime, Your Highness."

"You think that _I_ can appease them?" The prince scoffed, "I won't go. I've had enough of standing in front of the people."

Gildarts let out a bitter laugh, "You had no problem killing over a dozen assassins, yet you fall into depression over a measly thing like that?"

Natsu clenched his jaw, a small sneer on his face as he glared at the astronomer, "You call being hit by stones a 'measly thing'?"

"You're too hung up on the scar on your face. If you can't overcome that, you'll never be strong enough to stand at Prince Zeref's side."

"So…" the salmon haired prince stood, a sudden realization occurring to him. His voice rose in volume as his anger grew, "You used a ploy to choose me on purpose and humiliate me? Why?! Because you thought I would overcome my weakness if you put me into the worst possible situation?! And putting me through all of this was only so that I could become useful to Zeref?!"

"Looks like you've figured it all out," Gildarts sighed solemnly. He met Natsu's gaze head on, determination filling his features, "You need to be more confident. That way, the stones being thrown your way will decrease in number."

"You say it like it's such an easy task. But you've never been hit by those stones, have you? You don't know what it's like," the prince ground out. "You called me being chosen 'heaven's will'. Do think I'm lacking in intelligence because I have this scar? While my brothers were treated as princes, I was treated as less than a butcher's son. Anything that they've been through, I've had to endure a thousand times worse. I wasn't taught by a teacher how to survive, I learned firsthand by being thrown into a wolves' den. I know what I must do to live…that's why I won't go back into the village. And I won't be your slave that sits at the altar until it rains!"

Gildarts face contorted as his own fury grew and he raised his voice to match Natsu's volume, "If it rains because of that 'slave', that slave will become like a king! You speak of heaven's will, and as one who has spent their entire life reading the stars, I can promise you that you were meant to stand tall before the people! Prince Zeref will become King, and I'm trying to give you the opportunity to stand at his side rather than to continue to live as an outcast prince!"

The astronomer took a deep breath to calm himself before he continued in a much gentler tone, "I can only lay the pieces out for you. I cannot force you to do anything. I understand how you feel. I promise that I do. But your will only takes you this far."

Having said what he needed to, Gildarts bowed to the Prince, and began down the stairs that exited his study.

Natsu stood still as the astronomer left, in slight shock at what had just been said to him. Gildarts was giving him a chance, a chance to be more than the demon prince that the people claimed he was. If he proceeded with the ritual and succeeded in bringing the rain, he would be considered a king to people of Ishgar.

The prince's face filled with determination. He would do it, no matter what he had to endure. He would be the master of the rain ritual.

If it truly was heavens' will for him stand tall in front of the people, then he would surely succeed. Gildarts had given him a chance, and he wasn't going to let it pass.

He grabbed his white ceremonial hanbok as he made his way towards the stairs. He had to be given a new one, his old hanbok too dirtied with stains to be restored to its original state. This one was had gold designs running across the trim, cuffs, and collar, something that was sure to be blinding in the sunlight.

Natsu stopped at the top of the stairs when he looked down to see Lucy running up them, her green skirt gathered in her hands.

She came to a stop on the landing just in front him, a bright smile on her face despite her heavy breathing.

"Please, come with me, Your Highness."

"I'm going to the rain ritual. I don't have time."

"Good, you've decided to go. That means the hard part is over." Lucy didn't move out his way, only continuing grin excitedly, "I stayed up all night preparing, but I don't regret it."

Natsu couldn't help be feel slightly anxious as he waited for her to continue.

The blonde breathed heavily, but her smile didn't fade, "I have a way to get rid of that mask."

* * *

 **AN**

 **More Nalu :)**

 **Some exciting things happen next chapter, so I'm really excited for you guys to read it!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and thank you to all of you who followed, favorited, and reviewed!**


	23. Chapter 23: Removing the Mask

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Despite her previous enthusiasm about helping Natsu, Lucy couldn't help but feel nervous as she sat in front of him, his eyes carefully watching her every move.

He'd followed her back to her room like she'd asked, and situated himself in the chair that was next to her table full of powders and pastes. She'd stayed up all night preparing and mixing the makeup, and she prayed that it matched his skin tone. He was much tanner than her, so she'd had to go off of memory.

Lucy swallowed nervously as she lifted her hand from her lap, where it had been clutching nervously at her skirt. In this time period, touching someone's face could be considered extremely intimate, and Natsu was a prince, which meant his face was absolutely off limits.

But he made no move to stop her when she gently placed a hand a on his mask, reaching around his head with the other to undo the knot that held the ceramic piece over his left eye.

After she carefully pulled the mask away, his gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before tentatively glancing back up her.

The blonde smiled at him softly in reassurance as she set the mask aside and grabbed a small jar of tan paste. She gently swept his bangs to the side, tucking the short strands behind his left ear to give her better access to the scar.

When the pink and white lines of scarred flesh were fully revealed, Lucy couldn't help but gently run the tips of her fingers across them.

Natsu tensed at her touch and turned his head slightly, but he soon relaxed again, and gazed at her in slight surprise when he saw no disgust or pity in her eyes. She seemed more determined than anything else, a gentle smile on her face as she quietly observed his scar.

The prince suddenly caught her wrist in his hand and pulled it away gently as his brows furrowed, "You…It doesn't bother you to see this ugly face? You don't pity me?"

Lucy let out a soft, breathy laugh, her gentle smile never fading, "How can I feel sorry for someone who's always uttering death threats?" She sighed heavily, "Whether you have a scar or not, no matter how people see you…the fact that you're a good person is more important to me."

He quickly dropped his gaze again, awkwardly clearing his throat as he slowly released his grip on her wrist.

The blonde went back to running her finger tips over the scar, a subtle pout on her lips as she remarked, "In the end, it's no bigger than the span of my hand. You've had a long, dark life all because of this one hand-span…doesn't that seem a bit unfair?"

Natsu raised his gaze to her face again, swallowing heavily before tentatively asking, "Can I really trust you?"

Lucy paused in her task of prepping the makeup at his question, slightly taken aback by how vulnerable he sounded.

"I've always wondered and doubted, never being able to fully trust anyone," the prince solemnly continued.

The blonde bit her lip for moment as she contemplated her reply, "In the past…whenever I trusted someone, I was betrayed by them. That's when I learned that it truly is difficult for someone to trust another. And that's why I intend to stay the same until the day I die. I'll be someone that people can trust not to change, so that they won't have to feel betrayal because of me."

Lucy shifted her focus from the jars on her desk to the prince's face, smiling brightly at him as she promised, "If you'll trust me, Your Highness…I won't change. I won't turn my back on you, no matter what happens."

"If...if it's you…" Natsu timidly began, gaining confidence the longer he spoke, "then I can give myself over fully." He chuckled softly, all of the tension leaving his body as he leaned back in the chair, "Do whatever you want to my scar, I trust you. From now on, I'm yours."

Lucy's eyes widened at his words, but the prince had already closed his eyes, giving her full access to his scar. She gently cleared her throat, hurriedly turning her focus back to the makeup.

The blonde breathed heavily as she scooped up some paste with her finger and began to dab it gently across Natsu's skin.

* * *

Igneel sighed irritably as he clenched his hands on the armrests of his throne.

The King, along with his family, advisors, and the palace's servants had returned to the courtyard of the temple. They'd been waiting for the master of the rain ritual to arrive for over an hour, and the King could hear the people growing restless outside of the gate.

Igneel was grateful that there was cloud coverage today to shield them from the harsh heat of the sun. He prayed that it would be enough to keep the people from acting desperately like they had yesterday.

"Is the Crown Prince not here yet?" He asked Gildarts, who stood to the side of his throne.

The astronomer swallowed nervously, "Please wait a little longer, Your Majesty."

"We cannot wait indefinitely," one of the King's advisors remarked. "If the time for the rain ritual passes, what will happen after? Your Majesty, why don't we appoint Third Prince Laxus as the master of the ritual? He's the oldest after the Crown Prince, so there would be no grievances about it."

Grandeeny and Laxus' lips quirked as they heard the advisor's words. Things were going just as they had hoped they would.

* * *

Laxus smirked as he caught sight of the lavish palanquin he would be transported in. The King had conceded, and he was now the master of the rain ritual.

He glanced over his shoulder as he heard soft grunt, finding Gildarts hunched over and seemingly struggling to lift the ceremonial white vase. The astronomer repeatedly shifted his eyes nervously from the ground to the prince.

Laxus raised a brow, "You know that no matter how long you try to stall, the Crown Prince won't be coming back."

"What do you mean?" Gildarts straightened himself out and furrowed his brows.

The blonde prince's lips quirked at the corner, "My eldest brother has a tendency to miss out on opportunities, and I've insured that he'll miss out on this one as well."

* * *

Natsu swallowed anxiously as Lucy moved a thin brush across his skin. She'd gotten incredibly close to him to better see and control what she was doing, and he could feel her soft breath puffing on his cheek.

The pressure on his skin was suddenly gone, and he heard the chair across from him creek as weight settled down into it.

"Your Majesty, you can open your eyes now."

He opened eyes slowly, only to be met with his own reflection in the mirror that Lucy held up in front of him.

There was no more scar, only seemingly smooth, tan flesh above his left eye.

Natsu's lips quirked in small grin, happy to be able to look at himself without feeling disgust.

"Your skin was actually relatively smooth, it was just discolored with the scarring. So it was pretty easy to cover it up," Lucy was smiling brightly at him, but it faded as something began nagging at the back of her mind. The longer she stared at Natsu's face without his scar, the more she felt like she recognized him from somewhere she couldn't place.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as a gong was suddenly rung outside the palace, "Seems like the rain ritual is starting soon. We should getting going."

Natsu caught her wrist when she tried to leave, spinning her to face him. He stood as well, a gentle smile on his face as he gazed down at her, "Do remember? I said before, right? You're mine. Whether it be then, or now, or the moment you touched my face…I've made up my mind. I'll make you mine." He chuckled softly as Lucy's eyes widened and her cheeks grew pink, "I'll never let go of you."

His gaze shifted to her lips momentarily as he took hold of her shoulders and started to lean in towards her.

Then blonde stood completely still, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

The gong was suddenly rung again, and Natsu released his grip on her shoulders and pulled away with a small, regretful smile on his face, "Thank you, Lucy. I'll find you later."

He quickly left the room after that, grabbing his white hanbok on the way out the door.

Lucy let out the breath she'd been holding after he was gone, still too shocked to move.

A prince had almost kissed her. _Natsu_ had almost kissed her.

* * *

The gong had just been rung for the third time, signifying that it was time for the rain ritual begin.

Laxus moved to enter the palanquin, but stopped short when a firm hand suddenly latched onto his wrist from behind.

He turned to find Natsu there, but the salmon haired prince wasn't looking at him, instead gazing proudly at the palanquin.

Gildarts seemed to perk up at the Fourth Prince's sudden appearance, easily lifting the vase into his arms and coming closer to the two brothers.

Laxus angrily quirked a brow, glaring at the other prince, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I've come to take my seat," the salmon haired prince replied simply. He turned his gaze to rest on his half-brother, "Only the Crown Prince and I have the right to sit in this palanquin."

Laxus scoffed, "You have a lot of guts for a beast." His hand shot out to smack across his younger brother's face, chuckling cruelly as his porcelain, obsidian mask flew from his face and clinked against the ground.

Natsu kept his head down as his brother laughed, his bangs shading his face as he reached down to pick up the fallen item.

Laxus' grin faded and his eyes widened a fraction as his half-brother straightened himself out, "Y-you…your scar…"

The salmon haired prince's lips formed a snide grin, his sharp fangs flashing in the dim sunlight.

Gildarts grinned happily, seemingly not the least bit surprised at the sudden disappearance of Natsu's scar. He held his arm out towards the palanquin, bowing to Natsu, "Please have a seat, Your Highness."

Laxus turned to the astronomer angrily, protesting, "Gildarts!"

"The Fourth Prince was chosen by the heavens," the man smiled smugly at the frustration on Laxus' face as Natsu took his seat.

"Let's go. The people have been waiting long enough."

* * *

Natsu's heart began to beat faster as his palanquin was carried into the village, this time with a group of royal guards as a precaution. Despite Lucy's comforting words, he was still nervous that today would be a repeat of yesterday.

So far, the first part of his journey had been the same. The people stood on the sides of the dirt road, their eyes closed and their hands clasped in prayer. He exited the palanquin at the same place as well, thirty feet from the gate of the temple.

His heart dropped when the same man from yesterday shouted out, "It's the Fourth Prince! Why is it you again?!"

Just like the previous day, the man's wife joined in his shouting, "It is! What are you doing here?!"

The man stooped down to grab a handful of dirt, "I ought to just-"

He was caught off as a young woman grabbed his sleeve, "Wait! Look at him closely. He looks different…"

Natsu rolled his eyes softly as he took the palm leaf and vase from Gildarts. He was disgusted by the fact that appearance meant so much to these people. He supposed he wasn't much better in terms of judging himself, but he would never stoop as low as pinning assumptions to others just based on their physical features.

Gildarts gave him a reassuring nod before gently pushing him forward.

Natsu scanned his eyes warily over the crowd as they began to mutter amongst themselves.

"The mask is gone!"

"Didn't they say that he had scars all over his face?"

The prince took in a deep breath as he began walking forward, dipping the palm leaf into the vase and flicking water across his path as he went.

His eyes widened slightly as a man suddenly threw himself down on his knees in a bow with a cry of, "Son of the dragon! Please bring us rain!"

Other villagers soon mimicked the man, joining in his cries.

"Please bring us rain!"

"Fourth Prince!"

"Bring us relief!"

Natsu couldn't help but smile slightly as he saw the multitude of people kneeling before him. If felt good to finally be respected like the prince he was born to be.

* * *

Laxus scoffed as we watched Natsu from the top of the walls that ran along the temple's perimeter. That was supposed to be him getting the love from the people, not his demon of a little brother.

* * *

The beating of the drums echoed around the temple's courtyard loudly as Lucy ran to find her place amidst the servants. She was truly lucky that no one had noticed her absence and come to find her while she was helping Natsu.

She caught sight of Sting smiling softly over his shoulder at her from the front row, but she quickly shifted her gaze as the joyous shouting from outside the gate grew in volume. Something was still nagging at the back of her mind, but she smiled in anticipation. Natsu would arrive soon.

Sting's brows furrowed as he saw Lucy's excited smile, curiously shifting his gaze to the temple's gates as well.

All sound but the beating of the drums ceased as Natsu appeared through the gates. He was smiling proudly, seeming to relish in the power of the moment.

The Queen's expectant grin faded as she caught sight of her third son instead of Laxus. She leaned over to King, her eyes wide in disbelief and anger, "What has happened? Where's Laxus?"

"Control yourself, My Queen," Igneel only quirked brow, a proud smile forming on his face as he took in his fourth son's confident stature. "It is more important now to complete the rain ritual."

Natsu looked to Lucy briefly, gaining reassurance as he saw her smiling brightly at him.

His gaze shifted to his siblings next, finding most of them staring at him in shock. Jellal had a gentle smile on his face though, giving his brother a reassuring nod.

Sting, however, was staring at Lucy, undoubtedly having figured out that she was the reason behind Natsu's unmarred face.

The salmon haired prince stopped briefly in his advance towards the altar to hand the vase and palm leaf over to Gildarts, who bowed to him respectfully before taking his place beside the King's throne.

Natsu walked only a short distance before pausing again, this time to bow to his parents before he began the ritual. His lips quirked slightly when he caught sight of their expressions. Igneel looked proud, while Grandeeny wouldn't even meet his gaze, fury covering her features.

When Natsu had made it to the top of the steep steps that led up to platform at which the altar was set up on, he turned to look over his shoulder at the group of royalty, servants, and advisors behind him. From his elevated vantage point, it took a while for him to find Lucy among the mass of people dressed in white. His lips quirked in soft smile when he did, and she eagerly returned the gesture.

But her smile faded as the nagging at the back of her mind suddenly took over her thoughts entirely, and a memory of a painting of a man with a very familiar face appeared in her head. The man's hair was silver with age, but his features were undoubtedly Natsu's. He wore no mask, had no scar, and his smirk was shockingly similar to the salmon haired prince's current expression.

Lucy's heart dropped as she came to a sudden realization, ' _No…no, it can't be…not him. Not Natsu...'_

The prince turned back to the altar, barely taking two steps towards it before he felt something drip onto his shoulder. He turned his face skyward, squinting slightly as more drops fell.

The group that was gathered in the temple's courtyard looked up as well, disbelief painting their features momentarily before exaltation was felt all around.

It was raining.

The light drops steadily increased until it was a complete downpour, soaking all of the people present. But they paid no mind to their sopping attire, instead rejoicing in the success of the ritual.

The villagers outside the temple joined in the celebration as well, hurriedly setting up their pots, bowls, and whatever else they had to collect the water.

Natsu reached a hand up to catch the drops, smiling to himself when a small puddle formed in his cupped hand.

He'd done it. Well, he hadn't done much of anything really. But it was raining, and the people would treat him like a king because of it. He kneeled before the altar, pressing his palms together in front of his chest and bowing his head in thanks to the heavens.

Grandeeny didn't take part in the felicitations, scanning her eyes across the crowd for her eldest son.

Laxus had failed. And she would make sure that he paid dearly for it.

The Queen found him standing on top of the walls that surrounded the court yard of the temple, gazing at the rainfall in disbelief. She fixed him with a glare, her nostrils flaring and her lips quivering in her fury.

The blond prince held her gaze for a moment before he backed away and took off down the wall, his face void of any emotion.

The many royal advisors and servants that were present celebrated by praising the heavens, loudly exclaiming their gratitude for the rain. Loke and Gray joined in the boisterous display, running through the downpour happily as they cried out their thanks.

Amidst the celebration, Lucy stood stock still, the rain soaking through her hanbok and plastering her blonde hair to her forehead and shoulders. Her face was blank, her eyes numbly locked on the salmon haired prince.

 _'That painting I remember seeing in my own time, it's him. I'm certain of it. Natsu…he's the one that will kill his brothers to reach the throne. Natsu…he's going to become Gwangjong.'_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Ahahaha are you guys suprised? A lot of you reasonably guessed that Laxus would be the one to kill his brothers to get to the throne, but nope...it's Natsu :)**

 **And we almost had a Nalu kiss!**

 **Also, time to mention one of Scarlet Heart Ryeo's greatest OSTs, "Wing of Goryeo". It's what plays when Natsu is walking into the temple courtyard and everyone's in shock and its really epic. If your into OSTs I highly recommend you check it out :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24: The Gift of Foresight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Amidst the celebration, Lucy stood stock still, the rain soaking through her hanbok and plastering her blonde hair to her forehead and shoulders. Her face was blank, her eyes numbly locked on the salmon haired prince.

 _'That painting I remember seeing in my own time, it's him. I'm certain of it. Natsu…he's the one that will kill his brothers to reach the throne. Natsu…he's going to become Gwangjong.'_

"And so a hero is born," Gajeel scoffed lightly as he looked up at his salmon haired brother. "But…how did he hide his scar?"

"It must've been cosmetics," Loke thoughtfully remarked. "I don't know who did it, but whoever it was is very skilled."

Sting heard their words from his place next to them in the line, and he shifted his gaze to Lucy. He had no doubt that she was the one who helped Natsu.

His brows furrowed as he caught sight of her. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Natsu, her chest heaving with her heavy and quickened breaths.

"The heavens chose our fourth brother for a reason. You guys mustn't treat Natsu so carelessly anymore" Jellal started, smiling gently as he watched said prince kneel and bow to the altar twice before turning to face the crowd below him.

The rain had had washed off some of the makeup, and his scar was beginning to show again. But his face was only filled with confidence as he stood before them, his eyes quickly scanning over the group before resting on Lucy.

"Gwangjong…" Lucy muttered to herself. The blonde still felt numb, paralyzed by what had just occurred to her, ' _Natsu is going to become Gwangjong…his brothers, nephews, and longtime subjects…they say he killed them all.'_

* * *

The townspeople crowded around the white palanquin as Natsu was carried back out of the temple, crying out joyously in thanks.

"You have saved us!"

"Your Highness, thank you!"

"You're our savior!"

Natsu couldn't bring himself to do much other than look at them in slight surprise, unsure of how to deal with their sudden devotion to him.

Lucy stood amongst the crowd, having followed the palanquin out of the gates as it left. She'd been given the rest of the day off from her duties due to the ceremonious event that had occurred, but her mind was still consumed by her recent realization.

 _'If...if I hadn't have covered Natsu's scar, then he wouldn't have been master of the rain ritual, and he wouldn't be receiving all of this love from the people…Is he going to become king of me? Am I the one to blame for him turning into the tyrant that Gwangjong was?'_

She jumped slightly when a hand suddenly wrapped around her forearm and she was pulled back under the coverage of a house's awning.

Sting gently smiled down at her as he moved his grasp to her shoulders, his gaze focused on the downpour, "Lucy, it's raining. The King will celebrate by granting favors. You may be able to lea-"

He cut himself off as he caught sight of her blank expression. His smiled faded and worry overtook his features, "Lucy, what's wrong?"

The blonde girl only continued to stare numbly forward, muttering to herself, "Will they all die...because of me?"

Sting's brows furrowed, "What?"

"That person…is he going to become like that because of me?" Lucy began shaking her head, her eyes filled with fear as she finally looked to Sting and urgently began, "Y-you have to stay safe, Your Highness."

Lucy's focus shifted again, and Sting followed her gaze to Natsu, who had begun waving at the people that crowded around him, a pleasant smile on his face.

* * *

Laxus clenched his jaw as Grandeeny entered his room, her hanbok still soaking wet and dripping water onto the floor as she angrily stomped over to him.

Once she was within range, her hand shout out to slap him across the cheek, "How could you lose an opportunity like that?! If someone tries to take what's yours, you should tear his throat out to protect it if you must!"

"I can make mistakes, too, mother," the blonde prince ground out as he turned his head back towards her.

"No. There's no room for mistakes. If I am to rise up as the mother of a king, you must be persistent and ruthless." Grandeeny turned away from him, fury still filling her features as her thoughts shifted, "It was Court Lady Heartfilia…I'm positive that it was her who covered Natsu's scar."

Laxus was still caught up in her previous words, his voice slightly choked as he asked, "I…am to raise _you_ up, mother?"

The Queen paid no attention to his mutterings, "The girls at the Damiwon are all troublesome. I'll burn that place down to rid myself of them if I must."

* * *

"I've come to see you, Your Majesty," Natsu bowed in greeting to his father, who stood only a short distance in front of him. He still wore his white ceremonial hanbok, and the material was slightly damp with moisture.

Zeref had finally returned, and stood beside his younger brother as he greeted the King.

Igneel smiled proudly at his son, "Natsu, you've accomplished a great feat. You've saved this country."

The salmon haired prince's lips quirked at the edges, "I did nothing more than lead the rain ritual in place of the Crown Prince. But, thank you for your praise, Your Majesty," Natsu bowed to the King again.

Igneel's grin faded, and his face became slightly sorrowful as he gazed at his fourth son, "How long has it been since you've shown your bare face to your own father? You kept that scar to yourself for so many years."

Natsu was unsure of how to respond, still not used to dealing with people who were genuinely concerned for him, "I…I'm sorry for making you worry…father."

Igneel's smile returned. Natsu hadn't called him father since he was young boy, and it brought him joy to hear the prince address him as such, "Show your bare face to the world now, and be confident. Stand proud in front of the people, and gain strength from their devotion. I trust you, my son."

* * *

Sting had dragged Lucy to sit on the porch of one villager's homes, the girl lagging numbly behind him as they went.

The prince looked between the girl and the downpour worriedly, "We can avoid the rain here for now. Someone will bring us rain clothes soon."

Lucy didn't reply, only nervously fiddling with her sopping wet skirt and breathing heavily, seemingly to calm herself.

Sting gently grasped one of her wrists, and her gaze finally shifted to him as he asked, "Was it you who covered Natsu's scar?"

The blonde girl quickly averted her gaze once more, but she slowly nodded her head.

The prince sighed heavily, "You can get into serious trouble for touching the face of a prince. But you did a good thing, so you don't need to worry." He softly ran his fingers over her knuckles in an attempt to comfort her, "Also…Natsu may have stood in the place of the Crown Prince at the rain ritual, but that doesn't change anything. He'll still be considered a regular prince, just like me."

"R-really?"

"Of course."

Lucy numbly shook her head, her eyes still wide and unfocused, "But things have to change…things _will_ change."

* * *

Gildarts was slightly taken aback when a soaking wet Lucy came stumbling into his study, sliding to a halt in front of him and breathing heavily as she fixed him with a pointed glare.

"You…do you know who the next king will be?"

The astronomer quirked a brow, "I suppose it will be Crown Prince Zeref as long as nothing changes."

Lucy swallowed heavily, "Then…what about after the Crown Prince? Who will it be then?"

"Gwangjong," Gildarts suddenly stated, his gaze becoming slightly skeptical. "I overheard you call Fourth Prince Natsu that earlier, after the rain began to fall. What does it mean?"

The blonde bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the floor, "I…I was just rambling. It doesn't mean anything."

The astronomer quirked a brow again, obviously not convinced by her words. But he didn't press further, instead shifting the topic, "When I was about four or five…they say that I drowned. I was told that I completely stopping breathing and died. But I woke up after day."

"Y-you died…and came back to life?" Lucy's eyes widened fraction. Gildart's story sounded a lot like what she had been through.

The astronomer smiled softly, "My mother would always say that once I came back to life, I seemed like a completely different person. She said I seemed wise beyond my years."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief. She knew that something had always seemed off about the astronomer, but now it all made sense.

"I've never told anyone this," Gildarts shook his head gently. "Sometimes, I see scenes pass before my eyes and I don't know if they're real or dreams. I see a big bird that carries people in sky. I've even seen stairs that move all on their own, and a room that lifts things to different levels. I saw buildings as high as the sky filled with many, many people."

' _Now I'm absolutely sure of it. Gildarts is from the future, just like me…but maybe he was too young to remember.'_

The astronomer turned back to her with a sigh, "I heard that you also died and came back. So I wondered if you had the gift of foresight like I do. Now, let me ask you something. What is it that you really want to know, Lady Lucy?"

Questions began racing through the blondes head, ' _Is Prince Natsu really Gwangjong? Is he going to kill everyone? What about the other princes? What are their futures like?'_

Lucy's eyes started to fill with tears and her voice was weak as she asked, "I want to know...what…what should I do?"

"Nothing," Gildarts replied, his expression incredibly serious as he stared down at her. "You mustn't do anything."

' _Sting…Gray…Loke…Gajeel…Zeref…I can't let them be killed. I have to protect them. And Natsu…I can't let him turn into someone like Gwangjong.'_

"What if…what if I can change things?" Lucy dared to wonder.

The astronomer shook his head, "Whatever it is that you saw and know will happen, you must let things flow naturally. You can't get involved."

"But…the princes' futures…are they set in stone? Can't they be changed?"

Gildarts sighed solemnly, "I don't know. The moment that humans realize heaven's will, that is called fate. I don't know whether it can change or whether it was always meant to be. But I do know that we humans cannot escape the will of the heavens. That's why it is best to allow things to play out in the way that they are meant to be."

* * *

"Natsu has made it rain. Now he will receive the King's trust," Minerva remarked as she came to stand beside her brother.

Sting was watching the downpour from under the cover of one of the palace's pavilions, his right hand extended out to catch some of the falling drops, "Yes, I suppose he will."

"You should have been the one to lead the ritual, Sting. It would have been a good opportunity to gain the King's favor."

The blonde princ let his hand fall back to his side with sigh, "It was an opportunity that was given only to Natsu. It was a seat that only he could fill. I shouldn't have to feel greedy for something like that."

Minerva's lips pressed together in a thin line, "We should be wary of Natsu. Once you receive the favor of the King, it's easy to get other ideas in your head."

Sting scoffed softly, "Lucy said that Natsu would change. Now you're saying that as well?"

The princess' expression immediately soured at the mention of the blonde court lady.

"And as for Natsu," the prince continued, "why shouldn't he receive the King's trust and confidence? Think about the harsh treatment he has received all of his life."

"Lucy warned you to be careful of our fourth brother? Why?"

Sting sighed heavily again, "The person who helped Natsu take off his mask was Lucy. She's afraid that something will happen because of what she did."

The siblings stood in silence for a moment, the patter of the rainfall echoing around the small pavilion.

The blonde prince extended his arm out again, staring intently at the small puddle that formed in his palm, "As for me…there must be a seat that is necessary for me fill. And I'm very curious as to what it will be."

* * *

Lucy's feet dragged across the porch as she ambled back to her room. Her mind and body were both exhausted from today's events and revelations, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse onto her mat and curl into her blanket in an attempt to shut out the world.

Her plans were put on hold when someone grabbed her wrist from behind, using their grip to spin her and pull her small frame into their hard chest.

The blonde let out a small shriek when she looked up to see Natsu smiling down at her, hurriedly pushing herself away from the prince and stumbling back a few steps.

His face filled with confusion and slight concern as she began breathing heavily, her eyes wide as she stared at him. His gentle smile soon returned and he carefully moved closer to her, "It's just me. Sorry if I scared you."

Although she'd grown closer to Natsu recently, Lucy knew what type of man he would eventually turn into. And the thought terrified her.

She swallowed heavily, her voice barely above a whisper as she said, "I…I'm sorry. You just came at me so suddenly. That's all…I didn't mean anything by it."

Natsu chuckled softly, misunderstanding the slight panic in her voice, "You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who's sorry."

Lucy tentatively looked up at him, but his focus was on the rain that fell a few feet away from them.

He had a small smile on his face as he gazed at it happily, reaching his hand out to let the water soak it, "For the first time since I was a young boy, I called the King 'father.' It'd been nineteen years since he looked at my face properly. He told me to be more confident." The prince chuckled to himself, "After those simple words, all of the pain that'd built up over the years just disappeared."

As she listened to him speak, Lucy momentarily forgot about who he would become. He'd never seemed more innocent to her than he did now, reminding her of a young boy as he relished in the praise that he had received from his father.

"Everyone keeps thanking me. No one says I'm scary or calls me a demon…I'm starting to like myself better this way." He turned his focus back to the blonde, smiling gently down at her, "And also…the person who made me this way."

He held her gaze for a moment before looking back to the rain, a pleasant expression on his face as he reached his arm out again.

Lucy continued to stare at him long after his focus had shifted off of her, her brows slightly furrowed.

' _A person like this is going to become that cruel? I can't accept it. Gildarts said that I shouldn't get involved. But…what if I could help him, and change his future?"_

The blonde cleared her throat and nervously bit her lip as she gathered her courage, "Y-Your Highness, can you promise me that no matter how angry you get, you'll hold it in? And that you won't kill anyone who has done nothing wrong? You…you won't have any reason to be hurt in the future. Everyone will like you and treat you as a precious person, okay?"

Natsu's brows furrowed in confusion for a moment before he let out a soft laugh, "Gosh, you and your lectures."

The prince turned his gaze back to the rain again, this time extending both of his arms out in front of him so that his hands were hit by the falling water.

Lucy bit her lip again, determination filling her features.

' _I can do it. I can change him. I won't just stand idly by. I won't let anyone get hurt. Not Natsu or his brothers.'_

* * *

 **AN**

 **So, Lucy is determined to change Natsu's future...**

 **An important note: Natsu won't be wearing his mask much anymore because he'll use cosmetics to cover his scar.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25: A Great Soldier

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Igneel, Gildarts, and Makarov watched from a distance as the princes happily gathered in one of the palace's pavilions.

The King chuckled to himself as Gray and Loke engaged in a playful wrestling match, "I've been thinking about finding a suitable husband for your granddaughter, Grand General Makarov. I'm considering choosing one of the princes."

Makarov immediately perked up at the idea. Having a Juvia marry one of the princes would be a great gain for their family, and he knew that Juvia held an incredible devotion to one prince in particular. The old general would do everything he could to make his granddaughter happy, and he knew what prince had to be chosen in order to do so.

Gildarts narrowed his eyes in thought as he surveyed the princes, "Fourteenth Prince Loke would be a suitable match for Lady Juvia. They both love martial arts and their horoscopes are a good fit."

Makarov's grin faded, "Come now. What if husband and wife got into a fight? The two of them would tear the house down."

Igneel chuckled, nodding his head in agreement.

The astronomer scanned over the princes again, his eyes landing on one who stood apart from the rest of his brothers, thoughtfully examining the scarlet roses that rested in a pot on a nearby table, "Then…how about the Thirteenth Prince, Jellal? He's Magnolia's best looking man. Juvia would be the envy of all the girls in Ishgar."

"And then she might be stoned to death by them all." Makarov glared at the astronomer, "I don't think so."

"The Fourth Prince," Igneel suddenly cut in. His eyes followed said prince as the man started a conversation with Jellal, "I don't know about the others, but Natsu and Juvia both learned martial arts together under your instruction, Makarov. So there must be some sort of relationship there."

Makarov scoffed, "One was busy killing bears and the other was busy killing wolves. They've never even met each other."

"If you don't like any of them, then what shall we do?" Gildarts fixed the old man with a quick glare before turning his gaze back to the princes, "Ah…what about Eighth Prince Sting? He should remarry-"

"Hey," Makarov suddenly interrupted angrily. "You should count properly. You went from the fourteenth to the thirteenth but now you're talking about the eighth. Why are you skipping over people? Look…you forgot one."

The three turned their gaze to the third youngest prince, who was playfully batting a long strand of grass against Loke's head.

Gildarts eyes were widened slightly as he looked back to Makarov in disbelief, "Seriously? Of all the princes you choose _him_?"

* * *

Gray excitedly counted the marbles he had stashed in his sleeve as he settled next to one of the small tables that had been brought to the pavilion for the princes to sit at while they drank their tea. The colorful orbs had come all the way from Pergrande, and he'd just received them the previous night.

The prince grinned happily at the blonde court lady who came to serve him his tea. He leaned forward to excitedly whisper to her as she set various cups and pastries out in front of him, "Lucy, I have something for you. See me later, 'kay?"

The blonde smiled and nodded her head softly, "Of course."

"His Majesty, the King, is entering," a voice called from the entrance of the pavillion.

The princes all stood as Igneel entered, bowing to him in greeting.

"It's good for you to gather together like this," the King pleasantly remarked as his eyes traveled over his sons. "You've all worked hard as of late, and deserve a break." His eyes landed on his fourth son and he turned to face him fully, "Especially you, Natsu. You relieved us from the drought and I want to reward you. Is there anything you want? I thought of giving you land in Magnolia to build a home so you could live outside the palace like Sting if you desired."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. But…there's something I want more than land."

"Alright, tell me."

Natsu turned his gaze to Lucy, but her head was still bowed forward and her gaze rested on the floor. The salmon haired prince cleared his throat as he looked back to his father, "Please give me Court Lady Lucy."

The blonde's head immediately snapped up at the request, and she stared at Natsu with wide eyes.

Several of the princes were also taken aback by their brother's words, Gray and Sting in particular.

The girl's head dropped back into a bow when Igneel turned his gaze to her and hummed in thought, "Alright. I suppose it would be good to keep her close by to help you with the cosmetics. In recognition of her efforts, Lucy will be promoted to Senior Court Lady. From now on your only duty will be to actively assist Natsu."

Lucy swallowed heavily, "Y-yes, Your Majesty. I'll accept your commands."

Natsu smiled happily at her, but she still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"To celebrate the rain, we'll have a royal marriage," Igneel informed his sons. "We'll set a date soon. It'll be the Grand General's granddaughter, Juvia," he turned to face his third youngest son, "and the Tenth Prince, Gray, who will be getting married."

The pavilion's occupants were all taken aback by the announcement, and several of them looked to said prince to gauge his reaction.

Gray's eyes widened a fraction at the information, his expression otherwise blank.

Loke excitedly bumped a fist into his brother's shoulder, smiling brightly, "Gray, you're getting married! Congratulations!"

The raven haired prince didn't take his gaze off of his father, "But I…I don't want to get married."

Igneel chuckled, misunderstanding his son's obvious panic, "There's no need to feel shy. You should have in-laws and do your part as a royal family member."

Gray shook his head desperately, "But…there's still Natsu, and Sting is single again. They're older than me...I'm too young to get married. And that Juvia girl…I…I just can't do it. I refuse…I refuse to get married!"

Igneel raised a brow as the raven haired price threw himself on his knees in front of him, bending his torso forward in a pleading bow, "Your Majesty, please withdraw your words! I…I really don't want this," Gray begged. "If you…if you insist on marriage….I would rather die."

Lucy's eyes widened and her face filled with worry at his statement. Gray was her first friend in Ishgar, and he'd always been so playful and bright in her presence. To hear him speak such words made her heart drop.

Several of the princes were also taken aback by the display, not only because Gray was showing disobedience to the King's orders, but they'd never seen him so desperate for something in all their lives. They all understood exactly what their brother was feeling, but this was one the burdens of being a prince, and there was no way to escape it.

Igneel let out a heavy breath, his anger at his son's disobedience growing, "Instead of doing what I ask, you would rather dishonor me and die?"

Zeref stepped forward suddenly, his expression desperate as he reasoned with the King to save his brother, "Your Majesty, he must be so excited that he doesn't know what he is saying." He turned his gaze to his younger brother, urging him, "Gray, go on and thank the king."

The raven haired prince turned his gaze to Lucy before he slowly stood. His eyes held sorrow that she would never have even imagined the joyful prince to be capable of feeling.

Gray clasped his hands in front of him, his head bowed and his bangs shadowing his face. His voice was barely above a whisper as he regretfully caved, "Thank you for your great benevolence."

The marbles slipped from his sleeve then, the glass orbs falling to shatter against the floor.

* * *

Gajeel roughly patted Gray on the back as they made their way down a dirt path. The Ninth Prince had caught word of Loke having started a fight with some of Makarov's soldiers, and he was eager to see the brawl. His raven haired brother had followed him in a daze, but Gajeel let him tag along, knowing that he'd already been through enough for the day.

He did his best to comfort his brother, but he didn't have much experience in doing so, "Gray, women are only different on the first night. After that, all women are the same. I even get the names of my first and second wife confused sometimes."

Gray scoffed, "I don't want to live like you."

As they got closer to the commotion of the fight, Gajeel's eyes widened a fraction when he caught sight of Loke's opponent. He jumped in front of Gray, blocking his brother's view of the skirmish, "I think it'd be best if you didn't see."

"Move," the raven haired prince angrily pushed his brother aside, making his way through the crowd of soldiers that were cheering the fight on.

His mouth dropped open when he got a glimpse of figure who was locked in combat with his brother.

Juvia and Loke had their hands fisted in each other's belts, both bent over and struggling to down their opponent.

The cheers increased in volume when the orange haired prince easily threw the girl over his shoulder, loosening his grip on her so that gravity would pull her to the ground.

But Juvia expertly flipped in the air, landing lightly on the balls of her feet before lunging forward and sweeping Loke's feet out from under him.

The prince didn't expect the girl to survive his attack, so he was unprepared and therefore unable to catch himself as he landed heavily on the ground.

Gray scoffed as the soldiers all rushed towards Juvia, rolling his eyes when their cheering grew in volume as two of them lifted her onto their shoulders, the blue haired girl triumphantly pumping her fists in the air.

Loke made his way over to his brothers, smiling brightly despite his heavy breathing from the fight, "Man, Gray. She's really amazing. Juvia can beat any man. She's really a great soldier!" He wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders, "Gray, I envy you."

The raven haired prince glared at his younger brother, "I don't want to marry a great soldier. I want to marry someone I love."

* * *

Erza had gone to a secluded part of the forest to practice her dance. She'd desperately needed to get away from her people. They'd all watched her sadly as she learned the steps of the dance and she couldn't bear to be under their piteous gazes any longer.

After being displaced from their home country, they'd been forced to move on and start entirely new lives. Her people weren't taking the change as well as she had prayed that they would.

Being a former princess, Erza had had no training in any particular occupation, so she'd chosen to become a gisaeng. She'd always had an affinity for swords, and the only way to get her hands on some was to become a performer.

The swords used for the dance were quite different from those used in battle. The rounded blades were attached to the hilt by only a thin wire, allowing the blades to swing around more and better complement the movements of the performer. Two flat, silver hoops were strung between the two parts of the sword and scarlet tassels were attached to the hilt, meant to add noise and flashes of color as they were swept through the air.

Erza tripped over her hanbok as she attempted to spin around herself. Even when she was a princess she'd preferred not to wear lavish hanboks, but becoming a gisaeng had left her no choice other than to put on the poofy gray clothing.

Her hair was slightly throwing her off balance as well. It had been done up a complicated twist on top of the left side of her head and secured with a heavy hairpiece who's many silver gems resembled berries.

She lifted her head as the sound of a saenghwang being expertly played sounded through the forest. It was beautiful, and it was just what she needed to better immerse herself in the dance.

Erza moved gracefully to the gentle beat of the music until she finished her routine, sighing heavily as she finished the last steps without messing up.

Curiousity eventually got the better of her, and she carefully moved through the trees towards the music.

She found her way into a small clearing, and smiled softly at the sight that greeted her.

A group of children were gathered around a blue haired man as he leaned against the base of a tree and played his saenghwang, his eyes closed as he carefully moved his fingers about the instrument.

Erza thought that the man looked familiar, but she couldn't think about it much longer as one of the children suddenly gasped when he looked her way.

The children all quickly scurried to their feet and ran to hide behind the tree. The man stood as well, putting himself between her and the children, his gaze focused on the swords in her hands.

She quickly hid them behind her back, smiling softly at the children as they peeked around the man and the thick trunk, "I was only practicing a sword dance. There's no need to be afraid. I won't hurt you."

The blue haired man sighed, examining her critically for a moment more before turning to pull a small sack out of his much larger bag. He faced the children, "Here are some treats."

They all held their hands out eagerly, "I want some!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

The man chuckled softly, "Eat them slowly. And share."

The children all thanked him as he handed the sack to the eldest of the bunch, smiling at him brightly before running off in the direction of their village.

Once they were gone, the man turned back to Erza, "I've seen you before, haven't I? You're one of the people from Bosco, right?"

The scarlet haired woman scoffed and turned to leave. She remembered their encounter well, and it still aggravated her.

"You should pay for the drawings you ripped!" the man called after her, successfully bringing her to a halt. She turned to find him standing with his arms folded proudly over his chest, grinning smugly at her, "But if you have nothing to give me, you could show me your sword dance as payment."

Erza scoffed, "So that's where I recognized you from. You're that money insect."

"Money insect?" the man repeated, raising a brow.

"Drawings and instruments," she spitefully started. "You sure work hard to please the nobles. You're quite diligent."

"You came here because of my music, correct?" the man smirked, "Anyone in Magnolia who dances can't help but move once my music starts. Let me see you dance. You never know, I might play my great music for you."

Erza clenched her jaw, "I don't dance for strange men."

The man sighed, "Then…why don't we introduce ourselves to each other instead? I'm Jellal. How about you?"

"Jellal?" The scarlet haired woman scoffed, "If you're Prince Jellal than I'm one of your attendants. You don't have a speck of honesty in you at all. It's a waste of your talents. You shouldn't live that way."

The blue haired man raised a brow as he turned to pack up his things, "I really am Jellal. Ah, you must not know because you haven't been in Magnolia for very long."

Erza turned to find Macao and Wakaba standing a short distance away, gesturing for her follow them.

Jellal cleared his throat, straightening himself out as he turned back to the woman, "I'm the thirteenth-"

He cut himself off when he noticed that he was now alone. The scarlet haired woman must have ran off while he was focused on packing his things.

"She disappeared again," the prince sighed to himself.

Something clinked against his foot as he took a step forward. He looked down, spotting an intricately made, scarlet red incense pouch with gold beads and a silver elephant charm secured to it.

Jellal carefully picked it up, examining its details with slight wonder, "This thing…it must belong to that woman. It unique…just like her."

* * *

 **AN**

 **I have absolutely no idea how to describe the appearance of instrument that Jellal was playing earlier, but it's a type of wind instrument. It's called a saenghwang if you're curious and want to look it up though.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26: People Don't Change

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Sting approached Lucy with a bitter grin on his face, subtly waving back at her while she waved happily at him. He sighed solemnly when he came to a stop in front of her, "Lucy…well-"

He was cut off as the blonde girl excitedly pulled a parcel wrapped in an orange, silk cloth from behind her back, shoving it at him with an excited smile on her face.

The prince hesitantly accepted it, his brows furrowed as he looked back up the girl.

"You gave me the bracelet, so I wanted to get something for you as well," Lucy pleasantly explained. "Or I guess to celebrate me leaving the palace now that the rain ritual was a success."

Sting curiously undid the knot in the cloth, and the four corners fell open, revealing a white, silk pillow with intricate orange flowers stitched into the fabric.

"Yukino said that you always had many worries. She told me to make a new pillow for you every so often so that you could sleep comfortably," Lucy's smile faded slightly as she spoke of her cousin.

"Thank you, Lucy," the prince replied sincerely as he ran his fingers over the fabric. Lucy seemed to carry his wife's talent. The pillow looked exactly like the ones Yukino used to make for him.

Sting cleared his throat to ease the tightness that had begun gathering there when he thought of his deceased wife, "I…I have something for you, too." He carefully set the pillow aside, reaching into the waist band of his hanbok to pull out a bundle of paper.

Lucy's grin fade momentarily as she caught sight of the item before she forced her grin back onto her face. She reached up to take the book, forcibly making herself sound excited, "Oh, a book. I'll study very hard."

The prince chuckled at her assumption, "I know that you're illiterate, so why would I get you a book to read? Look at it closely."

He held the book out to her, using his thumb to slowly flip the pages of the bundle.

The blonde girl smiled brightly as the sketches on the pages seemed to come to life as he flipped through them. The detailed drawings were of herself and the prince, particularly of when she had been following behind him in the snow, carefully placing her feet in his footprints to avoid getting her feet wet.

She giggled as the drawings showed her slipping after Sting had purposefully lengthened his strides, "I used to do this with my friends all of the time. Did you draw this yourself?"

Sting smiled proudly, "Yep."

Lucy took the book from his hands, excitedly flipping through the pages again.

While her focus was on the sketches in her hands, she missed the change in the prince's expression, his grin fading and his eyes filling with slight sorrow.

"Lucy, Gray is getting married." He swallowed heavily as he watched the girl continue to happily flip through the pages, "Because there'll be a royal marriage, this time around…a court lady won't be released to celebrate the rain."

The blonde girl's own smile faded at his words, her hands pausing in their action. She bit her lip, as her brows furrowed together, "Right…I should have realized that sooner." Her eyes filled with hope and reassurance as she turned to look up at the prince, "But I'm sure that I'll get another chance. Besides, I'm Court Lady Aquarius' right hand woman. I was actually worried about how she'd get by without me. I just got promoted as well."

Sting's expression remained solemn, "I don't know when another chance will come."

The blonde softly smiled up at him, "I can wait, Your Highness. I promise you that I'll be fine."

Despite her reassuring words, as Lucy went back to flipping through the pages of the book, she couldn't help but feel slightly upset at having to stay at the Damiwon Palace longer. Something had begun to feel off about the place, and she was sure that something bad was going to happen very soon.

* * *

Lucy carefully used her fan to keep the flame in check as Aquarius boiled the water for Igneel's nighttime tea.

The blue haired court lady winced slightly as her stomach began aching terribly, but she managed the pain and kept her voice even as she explained to the blonde, "You need to pay attention to the details if you're going to make tea for our nation's ruler. The King prefers wild plant teas over leaf teas. He's had headaches and his eyesight is growing worse with age. He eats cassia seeds and matrimony vine fruit from Iceberg regularly. He often wakes up thirsty in the middle of the night. It's good to give him herbal medicine for that."

The girl nodded her head in understanding, "Yes, Court Lady Aquarius."

The blue haired woman sighed, turning to face the blonde fully before she shifted the topic, "Be careful of Prince Natsu."

Lucy's was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting the statement, "What?"

"You tried to care for him, and, in turn, from you he has learned how to care. But the concept must be completely foreign to him given the conditions he's lived in up to this point. The prince may misinterpret your intentions and the get the wrong idea. He probably doesn't know how to handle such feelings. He's inexperienced and is unaware of where the boundaries lie. So, if you can't give him your whole heart, you need to make that clear."

"But what if…" Lucy softly began, "what if through those feelings, I could a change a person's life? And change their future? If there's a chance of that, should I still turn my back on him?"

Aquarius sighed heavily as she settled into the chair at the table where they were boiling the water, "Before I came into the palace, I gave my heart to a man. It was before Seven and Bosco had fallen under Ishgar's rule. He was one of the King's commanders, and he was just as determined to unite the three nations as King Igneel as was. He would pick flowers and herbs with me when he wasn't in battle. I thought that he would forget his ambitions and we could live a normal life together. In the end, he traveled to lands where I would never dare of going, and was killed in the war with Seven."

The blue haired court lady turned to look pointedly at Lucy before continuing, "Do you understand why I told you that? People don't change for others. So you need to throw out the belief that you can change a person. It just isn't possible."

* * *

Lucy smiled pleasantly as she directed a group of court ladies in their chores.

It was her first day as a senior court lady, and being promoted meant that she no longer had to wear the ugly yellow and green hanbok of a lower servant. The hanbok she wore now had a maroon top with peach colored cherry blossom patterns scattered across the fabric and a forest green skirt.

The hairstyle of an upper court lady was different as well, her hair having been done up in a braided bun at the crown of her head and secured with simple brown pin instead of the bun and ponytail combo she had previously been forced to wear.

Lucy had just instructed the court ladies to go to the palace's storeroom for supplies when a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go."

The blonde's eyes widened a fraction when she turned to see a somber Juvia attempting to pull her down the path. She had only seen the blue haired girl once before, but she had made quite the impression the first time they met and had thereby made herself quite hard to forget.

The girl's appearance was a lot more refined then when Lucy had last seen her though. Instead of the fitted black training clothes she'd been in when Lucy had seen her last, Juvia was dressed in royal, ceremonial wedding clothes. She wore an extravagant blue hanbok that matched her hair with tiny white flowers stitched in various places across the fabric. The trim, collar, and cuffs of the hanbok were a vibrant red with long, golden dragons curling along them. She also wore a heavy golden belt that cinched the material in at her waist.

Her hair had been done up in a massive bun that stretched across the back and up to the crown of her head, several gold pins securing the style in place. A small, golden tiara had also been placed on top of her head and pushed back to rest against the front of her bun.

Lucy held her ground, pulling her wrist out of the blue haired girl's grasp, "What are you doing?"

The girl turned to glare at her, "Juvia and her love rival must go to Prince Gray now."

"What?"

She clenched her jaw, "Juvia is to be married to the prince today, but he's locked himself in his room. Love rival is the only person that can get through to him. Juvia doesn't want to bring you to him, but she must. If Prince Gray doesn't come out, he'll be killed for disobeying the King."

Although Lucy was concerned for her friend, she knew what meddling in the affairs of the royal family could result in, "I…I really shouldn't get involved."

Juvia's hands fisted at her sides, "Love rival can be his second wife if that's what it takes for you to come with Juvia! Prince Gray's life means more to Juvia than anything else, and she won't let him be killed!"

* * *

Loke clenched his jaw as he readied his axe. If Gray wouldn't come out of his room on his own, then he'd be dragged out. The orange haired prince wasn't letting his brother die today.

Jellal wasn't either, his arms folded over his chest as he stood a short distance away from his younger brother, his hands anxiously clenched around his forearms.

Loke suddenly sighed heavily, glancing at his blue haired brother nervously, "Should I really do this?"

"Gray will die if he doesn't go," Jellal ground out. "Do it if you want to save his life."

The orange haired nodded his head in determination, setting his gaze on the door and posing to swing the axe.

"Wait!"

He stopped short when Juvia ran into the hallway, a worried looking Lucy following quietly behind her.

The blonde bit her lip as she walked past the two princes, carefully making her way over to the door. She knocked on it gently once she was close enough, and leaned closer to the crack before she called, "Your Highness. It's me, Lucy. Please open the door."

Jellal suddenly set a hand on her shoulder, "Lucy, you shouldn't be doing this. Go before you get too involved."

"I've been involved in this mess since the beginning. There's no point in abandoning it now." She knocked on the door again, though this time she used much more force, "Open the door, Your Highness. Now. I…I won't ever speak to you again if you don't let me in."

The hallway's occupants were all slightly taken aback when the door fell open a fraction.

Lucy glanced around at the other three before she made her way inside, sending an apologetic, but reassuring smile to Juvia as she opened the door fully.

Once she was inside, the smell of alcohol overwhelmed her senses. She found Gray sitting on the floor, slumped against his bed as he downed an entire bottle of soju. Having emptied the bottle, he grabbed another, bringing it to his mouth to down the liquid.

Lucy hurriedly rushed over and yanked the bottle out of his grasp before he could, glaring at him angrily, "Is getting drunk really going to change anything? If you get drunk, does that mean that you don't have to marry?"

Gray clenched his jaw, his gaze downcast as he rasped, "You don't know how I feel."

The blonde sighed heavily, "You like me, but now you must marry someone that you don't like."

"You knew?" the raven haired prince asked in slight surprise as he pushed himself up to stand across from her. "But why…then…then Lucy…will you…will you be my second wife?"

The girl's eyes widened a fraction, not expecting the proposal.

He caught onto her surprise and hurriedly began explaining, "The King and my older brothers have many wives. It's not a bad thing. And even if you aren't my first wife, I'll only be good to you. So, Lucy-"

"No," the blonde suddenly cut him off, shaking her head anxiously. "I…I cannot live that way. I can't share my husband with several women. I don't want to grow old while waiting for him to come to me."

Gray's eyes became slightly glassy as he choked out, "Liar." He shakily took a deep breath, "Even if I'd asked you to be my first wife…you would have still said no."

Lucy couldn't bring herself to reply, knowing that there was nothing false about what he'd said.

A couple of tears managed to escape the prince's eyes as he heavily lowered himself onto the floor, resuming his previous position. He wiped at them furiously with the sleeve of his hanbok as he sighed heavily, "I'm stupid. I know that. While my brothers finish reading ten books, I only manage to finish one. Even when my father speaks or the teacher instructs us…I never understand right away. I've always been stupid. That's probably why you don't like me."

The blonde crouched down next to him, her brows furrowed, "Some of my happiest memories are with you, Your Highness. You know to laugh when you're happy and cry when you're sad. So I never had to worry about whether or not I could trust you. With you, I was able to laugh, cry, and get angry to my heart's content. And after Yukino passed away, I was comforted thanks to you."

Gray lightly scoffed, "I don't want that kind of consolation…Since the beginning, I knew that you would never become mine. I had hope…but I always knew."

Lucy sighed heavily, dropping her gaze to the floor, "If I said that I was sorry, that would be truly cruel, wouldn't it?"

"Did you…" the prince tentatively began, forcing the words out with effort, "…ever even like me?"

The blonde smiled softly at him, "I still like you very much now, Your Highness. Just not in the way that you would like me to."

He dropped his gaze to floor again as she stood and bowed to him, "Please be happy with your new wife, Your Highness. She's waiting for you, so you better get going."

* * *

Loke, Jellal, and Juvia hurriedly scurried away from the door to Gray's room when it opened. The three had been attempting to eavesdrop, but the conversation inside had been far too quiet for them to overhear.

A solemn Lucy stepped through the doors, her focus downcast and her hands clasped together in front of her.

Juvia smiled brightly when Gray followed the blonde out.

"Oh, Gray!" Loke hurriedly turned to address the servants that stood at the end of the hallway, "Hurry! Grab him before he can get away!"

"There's no need for that," the raven haired prince ground out, casting a quick glance at Lucy. "I'll go there on my own."

He turned to Juvia with a sigh, his lips quirking at the corners in a forced attempt at a small smile, "We're getting married, aren't we? So let's go."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Sadly, we won't actually get to see the wedding ceremony, but the next chapter will pick up with the celebration after the wedding. And I mean, the weddings of this time just included a lot of praying and what not and they don't kiss or anything, so it's not like we're missing out on much.**

 **Just so you guys know, in Scarlet Heart Ryeo, the man that Court Lady Oh (Aquarius' character) was in love with was the King. But I thought about Igneel and Aquarius together for only like two seconds before I thought, "No way in hell," and changed up the situation a bit. So we can just imagine that the man was Scorpio :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27: The Vision

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

The princes all happily gathered around to give their gifts to the newlywed couple that sat at one of the tables which had been set up for the celebration in the palace's courtyard. There were many empty tables and chairs, everyone but the princes and Juvia having left already.

The blue haired bride hadn't stopped smiling since the wedding ceremony, and she gazed at Gray fondly as she sat next to him. He'd changed into an elegant, black ceremonial wedding hanbok that bore the royal family's crest, a golden dragon on top of a red and silver circle, on the biceps. His hair was also now gathered in a small bun atop his head, signifying that he was now married.

Force once, Gray was the only one of the princes who wasn't smiling. He seemed more annoyed and bothered than anything else as he stared at the cup of soju on the table front of him, not even looking up at his brothers as they gave him congratulatory pats on the back.

"I've prepared five rolls of fine cloth and fabric for you, sister-in-law," Zeref smiled gently at his new family member. "Please make my brother happy with some new clothes."

Laxus set a small box in front of them, smirking proudly, "These are pearls from the sea near Hargeon. They're said to bless couples with fertility."

Gray choked on his soju at the mention of having children, his face suddenly growing pale.

"This a bronze mirror, use it well and live a pure married life, Gray," Sting set his own box in front of the couple, a pleasant grin on his face.

Juvia suddenly stood, her hands clasped respectfully in front of her as she looked around at the princes with a small smile. She gently cleared her throat, "'Hyun Hyun Yeok Saek.' It means that the kindness of heart is what's important in a marriage, not the appearance. Therefore, all of these gifts are an added bonus. Juvia will use them all well."

Sting chuckled lightly, "Our tenth brother has married well."

Gray only downed another cup of alcohol, his face scrunching at the bitterness of the drink.

"I've sent a tree that blooms flowers and bears fruit to your new home," Natsu started, a pleasant expression on his face. "You can enjoy its shade in the summer and enjoy its fruit in the fall."

The blue haired girl smiled happily, "Once it blooms, Juvia will invite you all over."

"Yeah! It would be perfect to wrestle in the shade!" Loke excitedly exclaimed.

Jellal elbowed his brother in the ribs, looking at him in disproval, "You really want to fight a bride?"

Juvia, however, was smiling smugly, "So Prince Loke wants to lose to Juvia again?"

The princes, excluding Gray, all laughed at her confidence and began encouraging the two to make the fight a reality in the future.

Lucy watched the gathering from afar, a pleasant smile on her face. It was nice to see them all get along like this.

Her smile faded as unsettling chill began to spread throughout her body as she looked at Gray. The feeling that overwhelmed the blonde reminded her of what it had felt like when she had realized that Natsu was going to become Gwangjong.

Lucy's breathes quickened when the sensation didn't go away, and images began appearing in her head.

 _Gray, kneeling the dirt, his eyes full of fear and betrayal as his quivering, blood covered hands rose up to shakily grasp the arrow that protruded from his chest._

 _Juvia laid unmoving on the ground next to him, her skin draining of color fast as she bled out from the slash across her torso._

 _A sword was suddenly driven through the raven haired prince's stomach, and he fell next to his wife as it was withdrawn, his body soon going limp._

 _Natsu stood over them, laughing as he stared at his blood splattered sword._

Lucy gasped heavily as she came back to the present, bringing a hand to her chest and stumbling back a few steps.

Her wide eyes unconsciously focused on Natsu, who was still chatting happily with his brothers.

She had to get away. Seeing him laughing like this after she had just seen him laughing over his brother's dead body was haunting.

The blonde pushed her legs to go faster as she ran away from the group of royals, struggling to maintain upright when her knees began to feel weak.

Once she had gotten far enough away, she allowed herself to collapse onto the grass in one of the palace's gardens, catching herself on her hands and continuing to breathe heavily as her chest seemed to tighten.

Lucy couldn't explain what she had just seen. The blonde had never believed in people who'd claimed that they could see the future, but those images were far too vivid and realistic to be something that her mind had conjured up on its own.

Besides, she had somehow been transported to a thousand years in the past. So who was she to say that people couldn't have visions of what was to come?

Lucy's eyes widened in fear as she heard a slightly panicked shout of her name from behind her, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

Hands clasped her shoulders as someone kneeled in front of her, and Lucy let out a small breath as she caught sight of blond hair. Sting must have followed her.

"Lucy," his voice was filled with concern. "Lucy, what's wrong?"

The girl seemed to snap out of her paralyzed state, her head whipping up to stare at the prince with tear filled, wide eyes. Her hands shot out to fist in the sleeves of his hanbok, "You must be careful of Prince Natsu! Avoid him at all costs! You can't stop him. If you try to…you'll all die…"

Lucy's focus dropped to the ground again as tears began streaming down her face. The image of Natsu laughing over Gray and Juvia's dead bodies wouldn't leave her head.

Sting grasped her shoulders more firmly, using his grip to slightly shake the girl, "Look at me, Lucy. Look at me! What are you talking about? What do you mean we'll die?"

"I…I don't w-want to stay here any longer," Lucy cried out weakly as she slowly brought her gaze back up to the prince's face. "I…I want to go far away from the palace. Wherever that is."

Sting pulled the girl into his chest as she began full on sobbing, rubbing a hand across her back in a soothing motion as her small form quivered in his embrace. He still wasn't sure what had brought on her sudden onslaught of emotion, but she was too shaken for it to have been a small matter.

His voice was gentle as he attempted to calm the girl, "Alright. Let's do that. I'll get you out of here. So don't worry, Lucy."

* * *

Natsu couldn't help but feel slightly anxious as he stood next to Laxus in the throne room. Although his father had been more loving to him as of late, he was still a king that would sacrifice anything, even his own children, for the sake of his people.

Igneel sighed heavily before he addressed his sons, "The reason I asked to see you two was to assign new tasks to you." His gaze shifted to the blond, "Third Prince Laxus, I need you to leave Magnolia. You'll visit every region and inspect the grain storehouses."

Laxus cleared his throat, clearly upset with his new task, "There are many storehouses, and I know that thieves are attacking them. Last year, the general in charge of the storehouses came back dead."

"That's why I'm sending you. The conflict continues to escalate, so it's obvious that a prince must get involved in order for things to change. I'll allow you choose the men that will accompany you, but keep your group small."

The blond prince swallowed heavily, regretfully bowing his head, "I'll accept your command."

"Your Majesty," Gildarts suddenly cut in from his place beside the throne, "what about the military supplies that the Third Prince was in charge of?"

Igneel shifted his gaze to his other son, "I'll put Fourth Prince Natsu in charge of it."

The salmon haired prince was taken aback by his new assignment. Protecting military supplies was no small matter in Ishgar, and the task was formerly Laxus' responsibility.

He felt his older brother's glare on him as he bowed his head, "I'll accept your orders, Your Majesty."

* * *

Laxus remained standing outside the throne room long after his father had dismissed him, his arms folded over his chest as he waited. His little brother had surpassed him in terms of the importance of their duties, and it aggravated the hell out of him.

The blonde prince glared at Gildarts as he exited the room, "So, is the king throwing me away?"

"What?" the astronomer seemed slightly surprised by his presence, his eyebrows raised a fraction. "I highly doubt that. Your task is a hard one, and one he would only assign to a person he trusts."

"You said it was heaven's will when you gave Natsu my seat before the rain ritual." Laxus' lips quirked in a sneer, his voice growing louder as rage overtook his features, "Because of a father's favoritism, two brothers are tearing each other apart! Is this is heaven's will as well?!"

Gildarts sighed heavily, "You've had greed for what belongs to the Crown Prince since you were young. Now that you're older, put aside your childish envy, and find your place in the world."

The prince smirked, his eyes focusing on the doors to the throne room, "Then watch me, and see where my place ends up being."

* * *

Natsu cleared his throat as he took a seat across from Grandeeny and Laxus, the Queen smiling at him sweetly. Loke sat to his left, the only member of the group who seemed genuinely happy.

It was an understatement to say that the salmon haired prince had been shocked when a court lady came to inform him that his mother wished to eat dinner with him. Natsu had arrived to the Queen's room in somewhat of a daze, unsure of why he'd agreed to join his family.

Laxus scoffed as he took in his brother's expression, "Mother only wanted to have a family meal. Why is it so surprising?"

Grandeeny continued to smile Natsu a bit too sweetly, "It's nice to see your bare face. You now have the King's trust. I'm proud of you. I've waited so long for a day like this. Let's forget about the past, and move forward." The Queen laughed softly, "Now, let us eat."

Natsu swallowed heavily as his family went about serving themselves from the many bowls that rested in the center of the table. It felt nice to have his mother compliment him, but he knew that fixing their relationship and making up for the grievances of their past couldn't be her true intentions. She was far too greedy and prideful to attempt something like that.

"You know what," Loke suddenly cut in, the tips of his chopsticks resting against his lips as he thoughtfully looked to his older brother, "I think this is the first time I've properly eaten a meal with you, Natsu."

"I suppose you're right," the salmon haired prince's lips quirked in a quick, small smile. "I was already in Shirotsume when you were old enough to stop nursing."

Laxus sighed heavily, "We should forget the past. It's about time that we finally started treating each other like brothers."

Natsu dropped his gaze to his rice bowl, wishing that he could believe his brother's words as he scooped a spoonful into his mouth. But he knew Laxus well, and it was easy to see his motives through his words and actions.

A strip of beef was suddenly placed in his bowl, and slight surprise overtook his features as he looked up into his mother's face.

She grinned softly at him, "You liked meat very much when you were young."

Natsu choked on his rice at her words, coughing to clear his throat before he spoke, "I…I still like it very much."

"Then eat up," the Queen's sweet smile never once faded.

Once the family had finished their dinner, the servants brought tea for them to enjoy as they continued to talk.

Loke took over the responsibility of pouring the drinks, sliding the teacups across the table to his mother and brothers with a small grin on his face.

Grandeeny smiled softly as she addressed Natsu, "You're taking on Laxus' job, but you have much to learn if you are to do it properly."

The blonde prince also fixed his gaze on his younger brother, "I'll be leaving Magnolia, so I think it'd be best to learn from Zeref. That way, you'll have many opportunities to see the Crown Prince." His lips quirked in a small smirk, "There will even be times when it'll be just the two of you."

As the somewhat pleasant atmosphere vanished, along with Grandeeny's sweet smile, Natsu scoffed, "I was just starting to believe that this truly was a simple family dinner. But I knew there was something you wanted from me."

The Queen poured herself more tea, not even looking at Natsu as she calmly ordered him, "Kill the Crown Prince."

Loke's eyes widened at his mother's words.

Grandeeny brought her gaze to rest on her salmon haired son, her sweet smile returning, "It wouldn't be the first time you've killed someone for me. So will you do it?"

"M-mother," Loke interrupted, his expression on the verge of desperation. "You shouldn't say such things, not even as a joke."

Laxus glared at him pointedly, "It isn't uncommon for a king to kill his brothers once he reaches the throne. Who's to say that Zeref won't do the same? That's why I need to become king. That way, I can protect our family."

"Zeref isn't like that!" Loke defended. "He would never kill his brothers."

Natsu looked back to his mother, "Is that truly what you want?"

"Of course," she replied, her voice unwavering.

The salmon haired prince sighed heavily, "Then…I'll do it."

Grandeeny's brows raised a fraction, not expecting him to have agreed so easily.

"But once I do," Natsu continued. " _I_ will be the one to sit on the throne."

* * *

 **AU**

 **The next chapter will start with a continuation of this little 'family dinner'…**

 **To clarify about something that Laxus said: While it wasn't uncommon for kings to kill their brothers to protect their place as king, the thing that sets Natsu apart is that Lucy knows that he will kill his brothers to** _ **get**_ **to the throne in the first place. Sorry if that caused any confusion.**

 **Another clarification: Hairstyle actually kind of signified someone's status, much like we saw Lucy's hairstyle change when she got promoted from a lower court lady to a senior court lady. So basically before the princes marry they wear their hair down or in ponytails, and then when they get married they wear it in a bun. So Gray now wears his hair in a bun :) Laxus, Gajeel, Zeref, and Sting all wear their hair in a bun as well. We all know who Sting's wife was, and I've mention Mavis being Zeref's before, but we won't ever meet Laxus' or Gajeel's, so you guys are free to imagine whoever you want. Except for Levy with Gajeel, because she plays a separate role in this fic…but trust me, we're not done with those two just yet… ;)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	28. Chapter 28: My Person

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _The Queen poured herself more tea, not even looking at Natsu as she calmly ordered him, "Kill the Crown Prince."_

 _Natsu looked back to his mother, "Is that truly what you want?"_

 _"Of course," she replied, her voice unwavering._

 _The salmon haired prince sighed heavily, "Then…I'll do it."_

 _Grandeeny's brows raised a fraction, not expecting him to have agreed so easily._

 _"But once I do," Natsu continued. "_ I _will be the one to sit on the throne."_

"What?" the Queen asked in disbelief.

The salmon haired prince quirked a brow, "You want one of your sons to become king. So why should it matter if it's me instead of Laxus? Once I'm on the throne, I promise that no harm will come to Laxus and Loke."

The blond prince let out a short, incredulous laugh, "Don't act like you're so high and mighty. You think that just because you brought rain you now have a chance at winning the throne?"

Natsu smirked, his gaze slowly sliding to his older brother, "I have heavens' will on my side. You have nothing but your in-laws."

The Queen's face was filled with fury as she looked at Natsu, "Your brother was born under the star of a king. What makes you think that _you_ would become king instead of him?"

Much to the surprise of the room's occupants, the salmon haired prince only laughed, "You're all making such a fuss over a joke." His smile disappeared and he stared his mother dead in the eyes as he ground out, "If you keep this up, I may start getting other ideas in my head. Now I'm very curious…what would happen if I were to take that seat that everyone wants so much?"

Grandeeny scoffed, sneering at her son, "You seem to think that you can do anything just because your name was drawn from a vase instead of any other prince's name. Do you really think that you've become someone important because of that? The only reason that the king allowed you to conduct the rain ritual was because he felt that it'd be alright if you were beaten to death if you didn't succeed. He decided that it would better to put you at risk rather than allow the Crown Prince to face such danger. You were simply a shield for any misfortune that would've come his way. It's a shame that you were unaware of the fact that your own father manipulated you in such a way."

Natsu's determined expression didn't falter at her words, his voice unwavering, "I wasn't manipulated. I knew the risks as soon as I decided to take that seat. But look at where I am now because of it. I've surpassed Laxus in terms of importance to the King and the Crown Prince."

The salmon haired man stood, a small smirk on his face as he stared down at his mother, "You know, the food that I ate here wasn't so bad. But please, never call me in to eat with you again."

He mockingly bowed to her before he left, his family's eyes following him out the door.

Laxus sighed heavily once he was gone, "It's too difficult to reconcile with him, just as I thought." He paused to take a sip of his tea, his smirk reappearing, "Since we cannot bring him to our side, I suppose the time has come for us to cut ties with him completely."

Loke suddenly slammed his teacup down on the table, the Queen jumping slightly at the action. Her youngest son had been quiet throughout most of the conversation, and she'd almost forgotten about his presence entirely.

The orange haired prince's brows were furrowed in fury, "You're both too much. You ask him to murder his own brother at a family dinner? If you were going to raise us as enemies, why did you even give birth to us at all?!"

The youngest prince angrily stormed out of the room, not even bothering to bow to his mother before he left.

* * *

Gray slammed his teacup down on the table heavily, the sharp noise echoing around the room several times. He and Juvia had just arrived at their new home, and they sat across from each other as they drank their tea before going to bed.

"Listen carefully," the raven haired prince started, his eyes trained on his wife.

Her gaze was downcast, her lips pursed as she stared at her hands which were clasped tightly in her lap.

"I know that we may be married, but I can't accept you as my wife. Therefore, I won't be changing the lifestyle that I had before. I don't want to hear anything about it from you. Got it?"

Juvia only shifted her gaze to the side, biting on her bottom lip nervously.

Gray sighed in frustration, "You should answer me when I ask you a question."

They sat in silence for a moment before the girl swallowed heavily. She gathered her courage, but her words were rushed, "Juvia is officially your wife, Your Highness. It is said that a noble, gentle friendship and love will lead to conjugal harmony for a hundred years."

She had spoken far too fast for her words to make any sense to the prince. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, "What language are you speaking? How do people expect me to feel any affection for you when you barely talk and when you do, I don't understand you?"

He sighed irritably to himself, his voice slightly rising in volume as he glared at his new wife, "I take up lots of space when I sleep! So don't even think about coming close to me!"

Gray slammed his teacup down on the table again as he stood, childishly stomping over to bed and throwing himself onto it. The bed was meant for them to share, but he made sure to spread himself out across the entirety of the large frame, leaving no room for his wife.

Juvia remained at the table until the prince had settled into the bed and stopped fidgeting. Once she was sure that he was asleep, she quietly made her way over to kneel next to him, carefully setting her elbows on the mattress and resting her head in her hands. She happily grinned to herself as she admired her husband's sleeping face.

She'd been dreaming of their wedding day for years, and now they finally belonged to one another. The rings on their fingers were proof of that fact.

The girl ran her finger tips across the gold band as she made herself comfortable on the floor next to the bed, smiling softly to herself as she fell asleep.

Gray gave up his sleeping act as he heard her breathing even out, sitting up to stare his hands. The red dye that Lucy used on his finger nails still remained, and he scoffed to himself as he remembered her words from that day, "You said that I only had to wait until the first snow for my first love to come to me, Lucy. You...are a cruel liar."

He buried his head in his arms and pulled his knees into his chest as he felt tears begin to sting the back of his eyes.

* * *

Lucy pulled her knees into her chest as more silent tears streamed down her face.

The image of Natsu clutching a bloodied sword as he laughed over Gray and Juvia's dead bodies wouldn't go away.

Sting had walked her back to her room after they'd talked earlier, and she had immediately crumbled against one of the walls after they had arrived. She hadn't moved since, her small form quivering as her mind played the gruesome scene over and over.

* * *

Instead of going back to his room after the 'family dinner', Natsu had decided to take a small walk to clear his head. Although he'd only been attempting to mess with Laxus and his mother, the fact that he had uttered an agreement to kill Zeref sickened him, even if he hadn't meant it all. He'd allowed himself to get too carried away in his game, and their reaction hadn't been nearly worth the disgust the idea brought him.

The thought that Grandeeny had only called him to dinner to request such a thing weighed heavily on his mind as well. For a moment, he'd let himself believe that she would truly start treating him like her son, but he should have known better than to get his hopes up.

Nothing was more important to his mother than power. Not even her own children.

He wandered through the palace until he found himself right outside of the servants' quarters. He thought about going in search of Lucy for a moment, thinking that the blonde could surely cheer him up. But it was late, and she had probably gone to sleep long ago. So he abandoned the idea, but he remained standing where he was, turning his gaze to the stars.

* * *

It'd been dark for a while now, and Sting had been sitting in his desk since he'd returned home after the wedding. But he paid no thought to the many books and stacks of paper that sat in front of him, his mind instead contemplating Lucy's panicked words from before.

' _Be careful of Natsu…you cannot try to stop him…what did she mean? What is Natsu going to do?'_

* * *

Lucy breathed heavily as she stumbled out of her room. The small space had felt too cramped, and she needed to get some fresh air.

She stopped when she got to the edge of a small pond that rested just outside of her quarters. Numerous cherry blossoms rested on its surface, and three pink lotus lanterns had been set afloat in the water.

The blonde brought a hand to her chest as her breathing finally began to slow. She'd calmed herself down quite a bit, but the tightness in her chest still remained.

"Lucy."

She jumped as a voice called her name from behind and she gasped when she turned to find Natsu standing there, a gentle smile on his face.

The blonde started to run away, but Natsu caught up to her easily, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, unintentionally pinning her arms to her sides.

Lucy's breathing started to quicken again, her voice shaky, "P-please let me go."

"Just for a moment."

The blonde swallowed heavily when his breath puffed across her right ear as he spoke.

"Won't you stay with me?"

She shook herself out his grasp, whipping to face him once she was free. Her eyes began to sting with tears and her voice became slightly choked, "I…I don't want to. I'm afraid of you, Your Highness. I'm afraid…of what you'll become…"

Natsu's brows furrowed in confusion, and he looked pained by her words, "I…You said that you weren't afraid of me."

Lucy anxiously shook her head, "I thought…I thought that I could change things…b-but I was wrong." The image of Gray and Juvia's bloodied bodies came into her head again, and her voice rose in volume, "In the end…you'll ruin everything! You…you should leave. Go far away, and never come back!"

"Not you, too!" Natsu shouted back. He weakly shook his head as he began stepping towards her, his face filling with hurt as he choked out, "Please…not you, too. Don't push me away. Don't tell me to leave. Don't tell me that I bring misfortune and that I'm a demon… you're the only one who never treated me that way."

The prince tightly grasped her shoulders once he was close enough, his eyes quivering slightly as he stared down at her, "You are…my person."

He moved his hands to cup her jaw and keep her close, smashing his lips to hers before she could stop him.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you so much for all of your support and thank you for reading!**


	29. Chapter 29: Hargeon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _He moved his hands to cup her jaw and keep her close, smashing his lips to hers before she could stop him._

She fought against him at first, beating against his shoulders with her fists. But the longer he kissed her, the weaker her struggle became.

Natsu pulled back slowly, his expression becoming slightly pained as he caught sight of her clenched fists. He looked back up to her face, but her eyes remained tightly shut.

His hands were still cupping her jaw, and he ran his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear that had fallen, "Lucy…you're my person. And I won't let you leave me."

The blonde opened her eyes just in time to see the prince's face fill with determination. He reached down to grasp one of her wrists, using his grip to begin dragging her behind him as he took off in the direction of the palace's stables.

Lucy didn't struggle against him, too overwhelmed by everything that had happened to respond.

She'd woken up this morning, determined to help Natsu change. Then she'd seen that vision of him killing Gray and Juvia, an image that was sure to haunt her for years, whether it became a reality or not. She couldn't help but feel anger and fear after seeing him laughing over their bloodied bodies.

But then he had kissed her.

And after that…she wasn't quite sure how she felt about him.

* * *

Loke had been sitting in the palace courtyard since he'd stormed out of their 'family dinner.' He was still overwhelmed with contempt for his mother and Laxus, disgusted by the fact that they would ask Natsu to murder his own brother.

He'd gone to the courtyard to stargaze, something that always had an unexplainable calming effect on the prince.

His attention was drawn downwards when the sound of hooves slapping against the ground began echoing around the courtyard.

Loke's brows furrowed in confusion as the horseman sped past him and through the palace gates, a small blonde sitting in front him on the horse, "Natsu? Lucy?"

* * *

"That's not possible. You must've seen wrong."

Loke sighed heavily as Sting shook his head in disbelief. The orange haired prince had gone straight to his older brother after he had seen Natsu and Lucy.

"Lucy isn't allowed to leave the palace. So how could she have gone through the gates?" the blonde prince asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Loke sighed again, "I'm certain that it was Lucy. Do you think that I wouldn't be able to recognize her? I even checked with the gate keeper. Natsu sped past before he could do anything to stop him."

Sting slammed his fist down on his desk, "What the hell are they thinking? Lucy's not allowed to leave the palace."

"I don't think that she went with Natsu willingly. I think that he took her by force." The orange haired prince's voice was barely above a whisper as he breathed out, "If they get caught…Lucy will certainly be executed." Loke's face suddenly filled with determination, "Sting, we have to go after them! Let's get our horses and-"

"No. You stay here," Sting cut him off.

"What? Why?"

The blonde prince stood and began gathering various items from around his desk, "It won't be good for you to go after them this late at night. So return to the palace. I'll go after them."

Loke scoffed, "I may the youngest prince, but I'm not a child anymore. Thanks for your concern, but there's no way I can just go back to the palace. If the King finds out that Lucy left…there's no stopping what he'll do to her. That's a risk I'm not willing to take. We should go find them together."

Sting sighed, his lips momentarily quirking in a small smile, "Alright. I still thought of you as a young child…but I guess you really have grown up." He set a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, "I trust you. So let's go."

* * *

Natsu and Lucy rode throughout the entire night, arriving on one of Hargeon's beaches just as the sun began appearing over the horizon.

The prince's hand was still clutched around her waist, even though the horse had been standing idle for quite some time.

The blonde kept her eyes focused on the sunrise, "Neither of us will be safe anymore, Your Highness. I'm not supposed to leave the palace, and now you've taken me miles away from it."

Natsu leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder, angling his head so that his mouth was close to her ear, "Should we just run away together then? If you wanted to, I would do it without hesitation."

Lucy didn't respond, she only dropped her gaze and sighed heavily.

The salmon haired prince lifted his chin and leaned back, turning his gaze to the sunrise, "I've wanted to bring you here for a long time. Whenever I came here in the past, I was always forced to leave sooner than I would have liked, and it was all because of false rumors. I don't bring misfortune. I don't slaughter animals for fun. I don't use my sword so carelessly either."

He held Lucy's gaze when she finally turned over her shoulder to look at him, "Do you…do you still want me to leave?"

The blonde swallowed heavily, "All I want is for you to live with your heart at ease, Your Highness. Even if that means that you have to live away from the palace...I want you to live happily without being wronged or having to spill blood."

Lucy's words were more than just an attempt at preventing him from turning into the tyrant that Gwangjong was. She truly wanted him to live happily, away from the politics and greed that surrounded the throne.

Natsu lips quirked in a small smile, "The only way I'll leave…is if you come with me."

The blonde shook her head, "I'm a court lady. I have to live in the palace."

The prince sighed heavily, turning his gaze back to the sunrise, "That settles it then. I'm not leaving. You've been my person since the day I first called you that, after Minerva had been beating you. You saw me for who I was. There was no need for excuses or explanations. You're the only person that I have on my side. So I don't feel sorry for anything. Not for kissing you or for bringing you out here."

He reached into the waist belt of his hanbok, pulling out a small hairpin. He ran his fingers over it as it rested in his palm, happy with his choice. The pin consisted of a shiny white peony with several small green gems that resembled leaves winding away from the flower in various directions. A few red and purple gems that looked like berries were also attached to the leaves, adding vibrant splashes of color to the pin.

Natsu held the pin out to the blonde in front of him, "Take it. I've wanted to give you something like this for a long time."

Lucy looked over her shoulder at him, shaking her head softly, "I was only trying to help you, Your Highness. I…I never asked for your heart."

The prince gently grabbed one of her wrists and placed the hairpin in her palm, "You can throw it away if you want. But promise me you'll at least let me see you wearing it once before you do so."

* * *

Sting and Loke pulled their speeding horses to a halt as they rounded a bend in the path and caught sight of Natsu and Lucy traveling towards them. The salmon haired prince pulled his horse to a stop as well when he saw them, but the blonde's gaze remained downcast, focused on something in her hand.

She looked up when Loke called her name, her brows furrowing, "How…why are you here? Are they already looking for me at the palace?"

The orange haired prince turned his focus to Natsu, furiously glaring at his brother, "Thankfully, Sting and I are the only ones that know. But others will find out soon. Come get on my horse so we can go back."

Natsu tightened his grip on the blonde's waist, his eyes daring Loke to come closer.

The orange haired prince scoffed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I brought her out, so I'll be the one who takes her back."

"If anyone sees you two coming back together," Sting suddenly cut in, glaring at Natsu as well, "rumors will spread."

"And how is her going back with you any different?" Natsu raised a brow. "The King has already given her to me. It's only right that I take responsibility."

"Given her to you?" Sting repeated, his voice deathly calm.

Lucy decided to intervene before the brothers could start fighting, turning her gaze to Loke and Sting, "I'll go with the Fourth Prince. Don't worry about me and head back to Magnolia. He says he'll take responsibility…so you guys can go back."

Natsu smirked victoriously.

Sting only continued to glare at his brother, "You better not go back on your word. You can't let Lucy get hurt."

"I don't want that to happen either," the salmon haired prince started. "So trust me when I say that I'll do everything can to make sure it won't."

Natsu kicked his horse before either of his brothers could protest, prompting it to move forward once more.

Loke turned to Sting as they rode past and disappeared around a bend in the path, "Are you really going to let them go? There's no guarantee that Natsu will take her back to the palace like he said he would."

The blonde prince's lips formed a thin line, "I won't let him get away with it if he doesn't."

* * *

Aquarius clenched her jaw as she saw Lucy following behind Natsu as he walked over the flat bridge that stretched across one of the palace's many ponds. The blonde court lady hadn't checked in with her that morning, and the woman should have known that she would be with the Fourth Prince.

Lucy's eyes widened as she caught sight of her superior standing at the other end of the bridge, rushing to bow to her, "Court Lady Aquarius, I-"

"I dragged Lucy out unexpectedly early this morning," Natsu explained for her. "So don't blame her."

Aquarius raised a brow angrily, "Are you saying that she left the palace?"

"The King gave me a task to complete, and I had no other choice," the prince lied, his voice steady.

"Nevertheless, taking one of the King's court ladies away could be seen as an act of defiance." Aquarius looked to the prince, "You should go back inside, Your Highness. There'll be less to explain to the others if you're not here."

Natsu softly nodded his head, "I trust that you'll take care of the situation well, Court Lady Aquarius."

The prince looked to Lucy briefly before he left, smiling gently at her as he did so.

"Your small act of kindness has moved the Fourth Prince's heart in a big way," Aquarius remarked as she watched him disappear around the corner of one of the palace's many buildings. "He took you outside of the palace. If anyone else had found out about this before I did, you could have ended up being executed. And who knows what would have happened to the prince. This is why I told you that you don't belong in the palace. You mustn't show kindness too easily to anyone that you meet here. You must take every step as if you are walking on very thin ice. That's the only way to survive in this place."

Lucy swallowed heavily, "I…I don't know what I should do from now on…"

Aquarius gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "You'll have to wait until Prince Natsu's feelings to cool down. I think it would be wise to avoid him for the time being."

The blonde sighed to herself, ' _My head is telling me now to get involved…but my heart tells me that I can make things better…can I really change Natsu's fate?'_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	30. Chapter 30: Target

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"It's a hit!"

Laxus had gone to the archery range to take out his frustrations, and he hadn't missed a single shot. Each of the arrows cut through the air with great speed, embedding themselves in the red circle on the wooden targets that rested over twenty feet away.

He paid no mind to Sting as he approached with his own bow in hand, instead reaching down to grab another arrow from the table in front of him.

Laxus let the arrow fly, smirking as a servant called out, "It's a hit!"

The third prince waited curiously as his younger brother notched an arrow. He'd never seen Sting shoot, and he was quite sure that his brother had never shown an interest in archery.

He raised a brow as the arrow struck the very bottom of the board, far from hitting the red circle, "You missed the target. Looks like we've finally found something that you're not good at."

Sting sighed, notching another arrow, "I need days like this in order to improve my archery skills."

Laxus prepared another arrow as well, "I always picture someone before I aim for the target. Like now, I'm thinking of the one of who became a hero instead of me. If I imagine this arrow piercing the heart of the one who dragged me from my seat…I will not miss."

True to his words, the arrow thwacked against the red circle, the servant crying out, "It's a hit!"

The third prince turned his brother, smirking as he asked, "What about you? Who's your target?"

"I've never aimed with anyone in mind," Sting replied as he pulled back the string of his bow, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the target. He let the arrow fly, and again it struck far beneath the red circle.

"People like you, people who have no clear target, are easy to sway," Laxus chuckled to himself. But all humor soon disappeared from his voice, "I'll be leaving Magnolia soon. The King is sending me away to die, so I'll make sure that I come back alive just to spite him."

Sting sighed heavily again, "You'll have guards with you. You'll be safe."

Laxus turned his gaze to his brother, staring at him pointedly, "Of course. I'll make it back just fine. So while I'm away, think carefully. Think about who would be fun to target."

The Eighth Prince made no response, his lips pressed into a line and his gaze fixed on the red circle before him.

"You and I…" the older brother started, a smirk appearing on his features, "don't we have some things that we agree on?"

Laxus knew that nothing more had to be said. He could tell that Sting knew exactly what he was getting at. So he set his bow down on the table, glancing at his brother one last time before he left the area.

Sting didn't look at Laxus as he stalked away, instead reaching down to pluck another arrow from the table.

As he pulled the string back, he took his brother's advice, clearing his head of all thoughts but one.

' _Natsu.'_

The arrow flew straight, hitting the target dead center.

* * *

Minerva paused half way up the steps to bow to Laxus as he descended them, a group of guards following in his stead. The time had come for him to leave Magnolia.

The prince came a stop a few steps below his half-sister, not bothering to turn and face her as he advised, "You should plan carefully while I'm gone. We'll start as soon as I get back."

The princess' lips curled in a cruel grin, "Then I'll wait anxiously for your return."

* * *

Erza paused in her movements and let her arms fall back to her sides as she felt eyes on her. All of the other dancers had left the gyobang already, but it appeared that she wasn't truly alone like she'd thought.

She turned over her shoulder, clenching her hands around her swords as she set her gaze on where she thought the watchful gaze was coming from. Her voice was firm as she called out, "Who's there?"

There were a few moments of silence before a head of blue hair popped out from behind a corner of one of the village homes, the headstock of an instrument becoming visible as well. Those two clues alone were enough to tell her who her observer was.

It was the same man that she'd run into twice before, and as he fully emerged she could see by the bipa that was strung around his shoulders that he hadn't changed his ways.

The man chuckled as he approached, seeming somewhat embarrassed at having been caught, "Have…have you been well?"

Erza clenched her jaw, "What are you doing here? Who hired you to follow me around? Who are you?"

He laughed lightly, a pleasant expression on his face, "I only came here to play music for the dancers. Why would I be following you?"

The scarlet haired woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "Really?"

The man sighed, "You know it was _you_ who approached _me_ the past two times we met. And now you're here. How do I know that _you're_ not following _me_?"

Erza scoffed, "It's just a coincidence. I didn't know that you played music here."

He quirked a brow, "And I didn't know that you were a gisaeng. From the way you spoke, I thought you were a high class lady."

"It's a bad habit to gauge a person's social standing on their words alone."

He paid no mind to her words, only pleasantly continuing, "We should introduce ourselves since we've seen each other three times. I've already told you that I'm Jellal. What's your name?"

She clenched her hands around her swords as she glared at him, holding no intention of responding.

"Erza!" a voice called from their side. She turned to glare at Laki as her fellow performer continued to call her name as she approached, "Erza! It's time to go back to our rooms!"

The scarlet haired woman huffed out an angry breath, glancing at the blue haired man out of the corner of her eye as she stomped away after her friend.

Jellal repeated her name to himself as he watched her go, committing it to memory. They'd run into each other three times already, and now that she a gisaeng at the gyobang that he played music for, they were surely going to be seeing one another a lot more often.

* * *

Lucy bit her lip nervously as she sat next to Sting in the small cave that rested outside of the palace's spring. They hadn't spoken to one another since she had refused to go with him after Natsu had taken her outside the palace.

The blonde girl cleared her throat, deciding to break the silence, "Your Highness…are you angry? I only went back with Prince Natsu because I didn't want you to be punished. If I was to go back with you…I'm sure people would have thought that _you_ were the one to take me out of the palace. And besides, I'm Prince Natsu's personal court lady. So I…I can't disobey his commands."

Sting suddenly sighed, "I'm not angry. Just disappointed. I've been wanting to get you out of the palace for quite some time. But I was always too concerned with the consequences to act. But Natsu…he did it in just one go."

He turned to face her fully, grasping one of her hands in both of his, "Lucy…I'm going to ask the King to let me marry you."

Her eyes widened, "W-what?"

"When I watched you ride away with Natsu, I was reminded of when I watched you get carried away to marry the King. You don't know how much it pained me to think that you might have gotten hurt…that's why I'm not going to stand idly by anymore." He swallowed heavily before continuing, "Just like Lady Yukino said…I don't sleep well. The expectations on me are heavy, and I'm always worrying about the future. Spending time sleeping when there are so many things to be done feels like a crime. But you…you brought laughter and joy back into my life. I want to live happily with you, and give you all of the love that I never gave to Lady Yukino. So Lucy…will you be my wife?"

Before she could respond, an authoritative voice rang out through the cave, "What's going on here?!"

Lucy shot to her feet as her superior entered, "C-Court Lady Aquarius."

Sting got to his feet as well, giving Lucy a reassuring glance before turning his gaze to the blue haired woman, "Court Lady Aquarius, I'll explain."

"If this secret meeting were exposed," the woman started, her eyes quickly shifting between the two, "who do you think would be killed first, Your Highness? You are a prince, but Lucy is only a court lady. I'll have this cave sealed shut soon. Having a secret relationship with a court lady could ruin your status."

She turned her gaze to Lucy, before turning away, "Let's go."

The blonde girl nervously followed behind, her brows furrowed as she looked over her shoulder at Sting. She hadn't gotten the chance to answer his proposal, but maybe that was for the best. In the past she might have said yes right away, but now she didn't know how she felt about the prince, and recent events with Natsu had only skewed her perception further.

When Lucy had followed Aquarius into her office, she expected to be scolded. But the blue haired woman only turned to her with a sigh, her features much softer than they had been only moments before, "Lucy…I want you to leave the palace with me."

The blonde's brows furrowed, "What? Leave the palace?"

Aquarius swallowed heavily, "The doctor recommended that I leave the palace so that I might have the chance to rest and lessen the severity of my chronic stomach pains. So let's go to my hometown together, alright? I knew about your relationship to Prince Sting, and now the situation with Prince Natsu has arisen. I think it would be best if you were to leave the palace for a bit, and let those two figure out their feelings. If things don't calm down, there could be serious trouble for all three of you."

Lucy bit her lip, "The Eighth Prince…he asked me to marry him. I'm…If I say yes-"

"Think of the Fourth Prince!" Aquarius cut in, her voice on the verge of sounding desperate. "Do you think that you can survive between two brothers? Not to mention the fact that they are both princes. If either of them has a change of heart, your life could be in danger!"

The blonde shook her head desperately, "But Prince Sting is different! He won't change-"

"The palace is a place that makes people turn their backs on all of the promises that they've made," Aquarius interrupted, her voice beginning to sound slightly sorrowful. "That general that I gave my heart to, at one time he wanted to marry me. But he turned his back on me to protect the throne, and got himself killed in battle." She swallowed heavily as grabbed one of the blonde's hands, "Lucy…don't you see? If you don't leave now, you could be in danger."

* * *

Queen Grandeeny smiled to herself in satisfaction as she looked at the two men that sat across from her. Her plans were coming along nicely, and now Laxus had managed to get Gajeel to come onto their side. The ninth prince had also brought his father-in-law, Jose Porla, into their scheme, and the Queen knew that two would be a great addition given their family connections.

She turned her gaze to the older of the two, "So, how are the plans to get His Majesty and the Crown Prince to turn on Natsu coming along?"

"We must get the King to believe that the Fourth Prince is a rival to the Crown Prince. But for now, I believe it would be best for you to pretend to support Prince Natsu." Jose's lips quirked at the corners, "Leave the rest to me."

Gajeel smirked as well, "Zeref thinks that Natsu is the only prince to know about his ailment. I've already started rumors among the people, so once the word spreads, Zeref should suspect Natsu of being the source."

The Queen's smirk widened further, "And now Laxus is in Crocus meeting with Jiemma. Everything's coming along perfectly."

* * *

Lucy walked out of Aquarius' room in a slump, both emotionally and mentally exhausted. She couldn't figure what she was supposed to do, and her superior's words hadn't helped ease her confusion.

The blonde jumped slightly when she saw Natsu standing the hallway, seemingly waiting for her. She bowed to him, unsure of what else to do.

He smiled softly at her, "I came to make sure that you were alright. I trust Court Lady Aquarius for the most part, but you never know how harsh her punishments will be."

The prince awkwardly cleared his throat when she didn't respond, "I…I will speak with her, and try to get you the rest of the day off. You didn't sleep last night because of me taking you out of the palace, so you should rest."

He began heading towards the door, but stopped when Lucy gently called out, "Your Highness."

Natsu turned to find her with her biting her lip nervously, her hands clasped respectfully in front of her.

The blonde swallowed heavily, "Follow me. And let me help you."

His brows furrowed, not understanding her words.

Lucy hurried to explain, "I…your scar…it's beginning to show."

* * *

Lucy swallowed heavily as she applied a tan paste over Natsu's scar. Unlike the last time they'd done this, the prince kept his eyes on her face the entire time, a soft smile on his lips.

She cleared her throat as she continued to move her brush across his cheek, "Your Highness, most people…whenever someone helps them through a rough time, they hold that person very dear. They believe that that person is the only one that's on their side. Whether it is friendship or love, affection is affection. But the two are very different. And I think…I think that you may be mistaken over that difference. I'm worried that you've misinterpreted your feelings for me, and I don't want you to get hurt when you realize the truth."

Natsu grabbed her wrist gently, halting her movements, "You seem to be trying to push me away, but I can tell you that that kind of method won't work on me."

He stood before sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest, his gaze flickering to her lips.

The blonde's eyes widened at the action, and she immediately brought her hand over her mouth to cover them.

Natsu chuckled softly, "Don't worry. I won't kiss you without your permission again."

He released his hold on her, bopping the tip of his finger against the tip of her nose before he left.

* * *

 **AN**

 **I'm curious, did any of you think that Gajeel would end up being on Grandeeny and Laxus' side? Cause he is now, and so is Minerva. And they're also trying to get Sting. This is when all of the deception and back stabbing starts, so I'm excited for you guys to read the next chapters ;)**

 **The instrument that Jellal had in this chapter is a bipa, which is pretty similar to a guitar in both appearance and function.**

 **Thank you guys for your support and thank you so much for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31: A Scheme

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"W-what?"

Sting sighed heavily at his sister's obvious annoyance, begrudgingly repeating himself, "At the feast on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, I'll request permission from the King to marry Lucy. I know that our family has high expectations of me as a prince, but I have no desire for the throne. Palace politics disgust me, and I only wish to live in peace."

Minerva scoffed, her voice rising in volume as her anger grew, "You wish to throw the throne aside so that you can live as a normal man?! And what about me?! Who will protect our household?!"

The prince's voice matched his sister's in volume, "There are many ways to protect our family that don't involve me becoming king!"

Minerva's voice suddenly became choked with emotion, "Ten years ago, our mother was executed for causing the miscarriage of one of His Majesty's wives. Everyone knew that Queen Grandeeny was the true culprit, but not one of the royal concubines or powerful families took our side." Her voice rose to a shout again, "If we do not take the throne, they'll attack us again!"

"King Igneel and Crown Prince Zeref are different. This country has changed as well," Sting urged, though his voice had become pained at the mention of their mother. "Please Minerva, don't get caught up in unfounded fears and anxieties."

The princess took a few calming breaths before her expression shifted to rage, "If you won't do it, then I suppose it's time that I stepped forward."

"Minerva…"

The dark haired woman clenched her jaw, "I have a new goal now. I will no longer be just the daughter or sister of the king. I will become _Queen_ of this nation."

* * *

"Your Majesty, Princess Minerva is here to see you."

Grandeeny's eyebrow quirked as her servant announced Minerva's arrival. The dark haired girl had never shown an interest in having a private conversation with the Queen.

The princess smiled sweetly as the servants shut the door behind her, "You told me to visit if I had any fun stories to tell you." Her smile shifted into more of a smirk as she continued, "And now I have something to tell you that I think you will find very interesting."

"Is that so?" the Queen's lisp quirked at the corners. "If you insist upon it, I suppose I must hear it. I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

"Lucy!"

The blonde paused in her journey to the palace's storeroom when she heard the call of her name, and she turned to find a somewhat worried looking Loke making his way towards her.

The orange haired prince gave her a quick look over when he stopped in front of her, smiling in relief when he saw that nothing was out of the ordinary, "I was so scared when I saw Natsu taking you outside of the palace. You didn't get hurt right? And where did he take you to?"

Lucy shook her head with a sigh, "I'm fine, Prince Loke. And he just took me for a simple horseback ride to get some fresh air."

Loke scoffed, "Natsu has always done things his own way. I don't like it."

"Please try to understand your brother a bit. You grew up surrounded by people who showered you with love. Prince Natsu didn't. He really isn't close to any of the royal family members."

"Kindness from others isn't easily earned. You have to work for it." The prince's voice suddenly lost all of its vigor as he muttered, "Ever since Natsu came to Magnolia, mother and Laxus have been changed a lot."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "You're not blaming that on the Fourth Prince, are you?"

The oranged haired boy sighed solemnly, "Quite the opposite actually. If it weren't for Natsu, I wouldn't have found out about all of the trouble that my mother and brother are causing."

Loke swallowed heavily, his voice beginning to fill with sorrow as he choked out, "Lucy…I miss the past very much. You know, when you lived at Sting's home and we all got along and had fun together."

The blonde gave him a bitter smile, "I…I think about those days a lot, too. I wish that we could all go back."

* * *

"Natsu, do you know what's been going on with the Crown Prince lately?"

The salmon haired prince paused in his readings as Jellal asked him the question, sighing heavily before answering, "Zeref's going to have to visit his mother soon. A situation has arisen and there are some things that he must deal with. Don't bring it up with him though."

Jellal nodded softly, accepting the explanation.

The Fourth Prince attempted to go back to his book, but was stopped when his half-brother suddenly brought up another inquiry.

"Natsu, is it true that you took Lucy out of the palace?"

The salmon haired prince didn't respond, but the way his expression froze up was answer enough.

Jellal sighed heavily, "You shouldn't have done that. Lucy is a court lady. If you treat her like a regular girl, both of you could get into serious trouble. She's been through enough, you shouldn't make things harder on her."

"I had no intention of doing so," Natsu responded, his tone becoming slightly defensive. "I…I merely made a mistake. I'm still unsure of how to interact with people that don't hate me."

The blue haired prince raised a brow, "I didn't know that you cared for Lucy that deeply."

"Well, you and Lucy are the only ones that are on my side out of all the people in this world."

Jellal scoffed lightly, intending to respond by saying that that statement was clearly false.

But the sound of footfalls had begun echoing throughout the study, and Gildarts suddenly appeared on the landing of the stairs.

The astronomer's expression was filled with worry as he made over to the two princes, breathing heavily as he bowed to them, "Your Highnesses, Cheondeokjeon Palace is in arms right now. The Crown Prince's maternal family has stolen from the tax money twice. Many of the powerful families are asking that he be disposed of, and they want _you_ to do it, Prince Natsu."

* * *

Zeref hardened his expression as he stood in the throne room. The King had called for a gathering of the heads of the powerful families to discuss recent events, and the men all glowered at him in suspicion.

Jiemma of Crocus stood directly across from him, his gaze fierce, "Were you unaware of the embezzlement, Crown Prince? We heard rumors saying that you were there when they came for their share."

The prince clenched his jaw, "I only heard of it after the fact. If there was a plan to steal from the people, I played no part in it. And it could have been a mistake. We're the in the presence of my father, the King. You should watch your words."

Jiemma slid his gaze to Igneel, who'd been silently seated in his throne for quite some time, "Your Majesty, we would like to protest leaving the future of this nation to the immoral Crown Prince."

The King narrowed his eyes, "If so…who would you prefer over Crown Prince Zeref?"

Said prince's eyes widened in disbelief and he turned to face his father, but the man's gaze remained focused on Jiemma.

"Your Majesty," one the royal advisers called out, "I believe that the Fourth Prince would be better suited to lead Ishgar."

Igneel quirked a brow, "The Fourth Prince? You mean Natsu?"

* * *

Natsu clenched his jaw anxiously as he waited for the King to finally speak to him. He stood behind his father, who stood between Zeref and Gildarts as his eyes surveyed the palace from their elevated position on top of the walls on its perimeter.

Igneel didn't even turn to face his son as he addressed him, "Natsu…I think that the time has come for you to return to Shirotsume."

Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief. He thought that he would never have to go back. He didn't _want_ to go back to that wretched town with his despicable adoptive family.

"You can stay until the feast on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, but after that...you should leave."

"But…do I have to go back?" Natsu protested.

Igneel turned to face his son with a heavy sigh, "There are those who wish to make you Crown Prince. I know that your mother is the one behind it. She is likely using you to get to the throne."

The salmon haired prince shook his head desperately, "I have no interactions with her, so why must I leave? It isn't fair."

The King held his ground, his voice firm, "A person's heart can be cunning. You may not feel that way now, but as you continued to feel wronged you will forget the sincerity that you feel now."

As he listed to his father speak, Natsu couldn't help but think of Grandeeny's words from their little 'family dinner,' _'You seem to think that you can do anything just because your name was drawn from a vase instead of any other prince's name. Do you really think that you've become someone important because of that?_ _The only reason that the king allowed you to conduct the rain ritual was because he felt that it'd be alright if you were beaten to death if you didn't succeed. He decided that it would better to put you at risk rather than allow the Crown Prince to face such danger. You were simply a shield for any misfortune that would've come his way. It's a shame that you were unaware of the fact that your own father manipulated you in such a way.'_

Natsu clenched his jaw as he held his father's gaze, "My true feelings must not matter to you at all, Your Majesty."

The King sighed heavily, "I've wanted to keep you in the palace for a long time, Natsu. But there's nothing else I can do. I must cut the sprouts of disloyalty before they grow any longer. That's how the palace works."

As Igneel walked away with Gildarts in his stead, Natsu shifted his gaze to Zeref. But his older brother, the only one who had cared for him after his mother had slashed his face, wouldn't even meet his gaze.

* * *

Seilah gathered her skirt in her hands as she ran to the designated meeting place. It was late, and she wasn't supposed to be out and about. But the Queen had given her a special task, and she needed to gather the proper materials to complete it.

She felt slightly relieved when she saw that Kyouka was already there, waiting for her.

They didn't bother greeting one other, instead choosing to get straight to business.

Seilah readily accepted the small parcel that was held out to her, carefully taking it into her hands.

"It must be served by that girl," Kyouka commanded harshly before shoving the girl away, giving her no chance to respond.

Her task having been completed, Kyouka immediately went back to report to her princess, "I have done as you asked."

Minerva's lips quirked underneath the coverage of her black veil, "Good. Queen Grandeeny mustn't know of what I have ordered you to do. And tell no one of our meeting. Things have been coming along perfectly, and I can't have a lowly court lady like you ruin it."

* * *

Natsu shoved the servants that stood in front of his mother's room aside before he barged through the doors. He'd faced too much misfortune because of her schemes, and he wouldn't bear it any longer.

The Queen was pleasantly pouring herself another cup of tea, seemingly unfazed by his sudden appearance.

He came to a stop right in front of the table, glaring at her as he ground out, "Was it not enough for you to bother me as much as you have already? When will you leave me alone?!"

Grandeeny quirked a brow and smiled sweetly, "Didn't you say that you wanted to be king? I'm a queen, so I should help my sons get what they want. So don't worry. The throne will be yours if everything goes according to plan."

"Enough with the lies." Natsu clenched his jaw, "Stop pretending that all of this is for my sake. I don't know what you're up to, but I'llll make sure that you don't succeed."

The Queen only went back to her tea, steadily continuing, "Crown Prince Zeref will die on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. I've already ensured that his teacup will be lined with poison. And after he's gone, you'll be made Crown Prince."

Natsu's anger only grew at her words, "You think that I won't do anything with this information?! You think that I'll just let you kill my brother now that I know of your plans?!"

"And how are you going to say that you found out about the poison? Are you going to tell them that I told you?"

"If that's what I must do, then I'll do it."

"Is that so?" Grandeeny smirked. "Then I'll simply say that I did it to make you king. I'll say that our entire family dug up the corruption and poisoned Prince Zeref. We've already made a covenant to request you as the next Crown Prince. That's how the palace works. It only functions if everyone's eating up each other's tails."

She turned to stare her son dead in the eyes, "Try to stop the poisoning if you want. But you'll only be tying a noose around your own neck."

"Even I'm not the one to do it, you will be stopped eventually," Natsu ground out.

"The King has kicked you out of the palace because you're a threat to the Crown Prince. Yet you're still loyal to him?" Grandeeny scoffed. "A measly court lady who serves tea will be executed for poisoning the Crown Prince, and then Zeref will be gone. Thanks to me, you'll own everything in Ishgar."

Natsu's head was downcast, his bangs shadowing his eyes as he replied, "You think that I'm still able to trust you after everything that you've done?"

"You said so yourself. You said that even if you became king, you wouldn't harm Laxus or Loke. I know that you still hold affection for us, even after everything that we've done. That's why I'll support you, and make you king of this nation."

* * *

Gildarts' brows furrowed as he observed the night sky, "Why is the Crown Prince's star fading?"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Be prepared, stuff's about to start going down**

 **The relationship between Natsu and Jellal is gonna be a good and important one, so keep an eye on it ;)**

 **Also, if you remember way back before the exorcism ritual, Minerva talks to Yukino about holding a grudge against Grandeeny. Now you guys finally know why!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32: Poison

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month had finally arrived, and all of the royal family had gathered in one the palace's large pavilions to enjoy a feast.

The King and Queen sat at their own table at the head of the group, and the royal heirs were seated at their individual tables which had been arranged in two lines along the sides of the pavilion.

Two of the tables were empty. Gray hadn't shown up to the feast, and Jellal had vacated his to stand in front of Loke's table. The royal family was playing a game that tested the group's memory of poems, and the blue haired prince had failed in the last round. So he'd rolled the dice to see what his punishment was, and he'd chosen his younger brother to help him complete the task.

Natsu paid no mind to his family members as they laughed as the two youngest princes linked arms and drank from the cups of soju that Gildarts had provided for them. His gaze was instead fixated on the teacup that rested in Zeref's hands. The Crown Prince hadn't drank from it yet, and Natsu prayed that it would remain that way.

"Well," Gildarts voice sounded out, a joyful grin on his face, "Should we start another round?"

Igneel took a sip of tea before beginning the next poem, "First. If a round flower blossom is sitting up high, it is as if you have seen the celestial poles."

He raised his cup towards Grandeeny, and the Queen took a sip of her tea before continuing on with the next line of the poem, "Second. Lacking the various colors, the land is pure yellow in color."

She passed it off to Sting next, and he drank from his own cup before confidently continuing, "Third. What you sow early and reap late is man's virtue."

Jellal was chosen next, "Fourth. A flower that can fight the frost to grow is a strong and straight plant."

A look of horror flashed across Loke's face as his blue haired brother gestured to him. He put on a brave face as he drank from his tea, but his confidence faded as his mind continued to draw a blank at the next line of the poem, "Fifth…Fifth…Fifth…"

"Fifth. If there is a flower set on your drinks, the food will be fresh," Gajeel provided, a smirk on his face as he took a drink from his own cup. "It was written by Zhong Hui about the chrysanthemum flower."

The royal family all laughed at the pout that settle on the youngest prince's face.

"Loke," Igneel started, a hearty smile on his face. "Your martial arts are good, but you should focus on your studies to."

Natsu's gaze snapped back to Zeref as the prince raised his teacup, but the Crown Prince seemed hesitant to take a drink from it and set it back on the table.

The Queen noticed the action as well, and filled her voice with fake concern as she asked, "What's wrong? You must not have much of an appetite, Crown Prince."

All eyes were suddenly on Zeref, and his lips formed a grim line, "The alcohol isn't going down well today. I am sorry to worry you all."

Igneel turned his gaze to one of the court ladies that stood silently on the sides of the pavilion, "Why don't you go fetch some chrysanthemum tea? It's known to be good for your health."

She respectfully bowed as she replied, "Yes, I will do so."

Natsu watched her as she went. Judging by the smirk on his mother's face, he was sure that she'd somehow arranged for that court lady to bring back the poisoned teacup. He had to do something fast if he wanted to save his brother's life.

* * *

Seilah made sure to stumble and rub her temples to add to her act as she made her way back to the palace's storeroom. She'd already dealt with the administration of the poison, and now it was time to fulfill Minerva's part of the request.

She made her way over to Lucy, who was busy administering different trays of pastries and other snacks to the lower court ladies who were serving the royal family.

She added a fake wince as she rubbed her temple, forcing her voice to sound strained, "The Crown Prince would like some chrysanthemum tea."

The blonde nodded her head, "Okay, I think we already have some brewed. So hold on a second."

Seliah grabbed the girl's arm before she could go fetch the drink, "Lucy, can you serve the tea instead of me? I think I may be coming down with something." She added another wince at the end of her words.

Lucy's face filled with genuine concern, "I'm sorry, but Court Lady Aquarius told me to refrain from serving the princes for the time being."

Seliah clenched her jaw as the blonde turned back to preparing the tea. She would have to do better if she wanted the girl to play into their plan.

So she let her body go limp, sweeping her arm across the table and knocking several cups to shatter against the floor as she tried to catch herself. One of the other court ladies present caught her, but Seliah paid them no mind, instead focusing on her act, clutching at her head with forced whimpers.

* * *

"Hurry up!"

Gray huffed out a breath angrily as he waited for Juvia to catch up to him. His wife was futilely struggling to walk in the poofy pink hanbok their servants had forced her into. She'd protested greatly, saying that she would rather wear her armor. But Gray had insisted that she looked nice for the feast. His older brothers' wives were all high class ladies, and he wasn't about to look bad by showing up with a soldier at his side.

He turned to her as she finally caught up, "We're late because you took so long to get ready."

Juvia only pouted up at him.

The raven haired prince sighed heavily, "Oh, don't give me that look."

He turned to continue on towards the pavilion, but stopped short when he saw Lucy standing at the edge of the bridge they were walking on.

The blonde seemed to feeling the same things that he felt at her presence. They hadn't seen each other since the wedding, and hadn't spoken to each other since she turned down his confession.

The two had once been great friends, but now they only felt discomfort in each other's presence. Their friendship had been somewhat ruined that day, and neither of them knew what to do to make things better, or if things could even be fixed in the first place.

Lucy broke the silence first, her hands clenching around the tray in her hands as she bowed to them, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Gray swallowed heavily as he cast a quick glance at Juiva, "Let's go. We're already late."

His wife simply shook her head, "Prince Gray should accept Lucy's greeting."

"What?"

"If Gray doesn't acknowledge her, she has to continue standing like that."

The prince looked back to Lucy, who was still bent over in her bow. He sighed heavily before commanding, "Lift your head."

The two held each other's gaze after she did, both unsure of what to say.

Gray broke the silence this time, dropping his focus to the floor, "Turn around."

The blonde swallowed heavily before she followed his order.

"From now on, turn around whenever you see me. I don't want to see your face ever again. Do you understand?"

Lucy had to fight to keep her voice even as she replied, "Yes, Your Highness." It hurt to hear her once great friend, her first friend that she had made in Ishgar, tell her such things.

Gray turned to Juvia, "I'm going home. It's up to you if you want to follow me."

The blue haired girl followed her husband for a few steps, pausing after she glanced over her shoulder to see a tear streaming down Lucy's cheek. The prince continued down the bridge alone, uncaring of whether or not his wife followed.

Juvia's voice was slightly spiteful as she asked, "If Lucy was so hurt by it, why didn't she become his second wife like Prince Gray offered?"

The blonde forced a soft smile onto her face as she turned to face the girl, "Please watch over him, Juvia. Don't let him get into useless fights in the palace. And he's easily swayed, so don't let him get close with any random person."

"Juvia is his wife now, so love rival doesn't have to worry about that stuff any longer. Juvia will protect Prince Gray until her very end."

* * *

Natsu paid no mind to his family when they all laughed heartily as Loke finished his punishment. His gaze was shifting between his mother and Zeref. The court lady would return soon with the poisoned teacup, and he had think of something fast.

His heart dropped when the court lady entered the pavilion with the tea, although it was not the one that he was expecting.

It was Lucy.

She was going to be the one that unwittingly served the Crown Prince from a poisoned teacup, and she would be executed because of it.

His gaze slid to his mother, and his jaw clenched at the anticipation that he saw in her features.

Now Zeref's life wasn't the only one at stake. He had to do something. He couldn't let them die because he was too afraid to of his mother's power to act.

Before Natsu was completely sure of his plan, he stood and addressed his eldest brother, his gaze zeroed in on Lucy's hands as she poured the tea, "I have something to say to you, Crown Prince Zeref."

The First Prince seemed slightly surprised by his sudden words, but soon conceded, "Go ahead and speak."

The salmon haired man swallowed heavily, unsure of what to say. If he blatantly spoke up about Grandeeny's plans, his mother, Laxus, Loke, and he would be executed for scheming against the throne, even though the Queen and Laxus were the only members of their family with such intentions. And now Lucy had been dragged into the mess as well, and he had no doubt that she would be killed for having been an accomplice, even if she was completely unaware of it.

He cleared his throat before he spoke, a plan forming in his head, "I…I have caused you trouble recently. As your brother, I would like to request three drinks from you to strengthen our kinship."

Grandeeny raised a brow, having not expected him to intervene. But she was curious as to what he thought he could do to stop her plan, so she let him continue.

"I concede," Zeref replied steadily. "But I have no alcohol, only tea."

Natsu forced a reassuring smile onto his face, "With the mood that I am in today, tea is good enough."

The Crown Prince nodded before he turned to Lucy, "Take this to Natsu."

"Yes, Your Highness," the blonde bowed to him before she carefully took the teacup from his table. She made her way over to Natsu, her head bowed as she offered the drink to him with both hands.

He gave Lucy time to withdraw her hands before he let the teacup slip from his grasp, gravity pulling it down to shatter against the floor.

The blonde's eyes widened, and she immediately bent her body over an apologetic bow, "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

"There's no need for that." Natsu shifted his gaze to his father, "It was my fault, not hers."

"Bring a new cup," Zeref commanded simply.

The rest of the royal family watched on in silence as he blonde rushed to fulfill the request, heading towards one of the court ladies that stood on the side of the pavilion to retrieve another teacup.

As she returned to Zeref's side, Natsu moved to stand in front of his brother's table, smirking victoriously to himself all the while. He'd shattered the poisoned teacup, and now everyone would be safe.

Lucy handed him the new cup after she'd filled it with tea, and he accepted it graciously with both hands. He smiled softly at his older brother, "First, I''ll drink to your longevity."

Grandeeny and Minerva's eyes followed his hands as he lifted the lifted the cup to his mouth and drained it of its contents.

The Fourth Prince handed the cup back to Lucy so that she could refill it, and she was soon placing it back in his hands.

"Second, you continue to fight for Ishgar, so I'll drink to your fortune-" Natsu's voice cut off when his throat suddenly constricted, and his pleasant grin faded as realization dawned on him. But he forced his voice to remain even as he finished his words, "…to your fortune in war," before he raised the cup to his lips again.

' _I'm a fool. I should've known.'_

He gave the cup back to Lucy, fighting to maintain his composure as he glanced over at his mother. The satisfaction in her eyes was all the proof he needed to confirm his suspicions.

' _It wasn't the cup that was laced with poison, but the tea itself.'_

Natsu returned his gaze to Lucy as she held the refilled cup out to him again, but her gaze was downcast as her head remained bent over in a respectful bow.

' _I'm drinking poison… that Lucy has poured for me.'_

He shakily reached out to take the cup from her, and she glanced up at his face worriedly when she saw the quivering of his hand.

But Natsu only gave her a reassuring smile, ' _If I let them know what's been done, she won't be able to escape the punishment.'_

The prince shifted his gaze to his brother, doing his best to maintain his pleasant smile, "Lastly…no matter who tries to get in between us with sly words…it's my wish that our friendship will never change."

Natsu focused on Lucy again as he drank the final cup of poison, ' _For her…I would willing give my life…so I'll be strong, and endure it for as long as I can…'_

"Thank you for your sincerity," Zeref smiled gently at his younger brother, before he shifted his gaze to their father, "Your Majesty, could you not see my brother's genuine feelings? How could I be apart from a brother like this? Please withdraw your orders to send him back to Shirotsume."

Natsu paid no mind to his brother's gracious request, instead turning to glare at his mother.

The Queen held his harsh gaze with ease, a victorious smirk beginning to form on her features. Things may have not gone exactly as she had hoped, but the outcome of the day's events wouldn't be unsatisfactory in the least. She'd been trying to get rid of Natsu for ages, and now she would finally be free of him. And with him out of the way, she could return her focus to getting Laxus on the throne.

Minerva, on the other hand, looked horrified. She'd been completely willing to take part in the plan to assassinate Zeref, and had even managed to get Lucy dragged into the mess so that she would eventually be taken out of the picture as well. But no one could have predicted that Natsu would have become the victim, and now there was nothing that she could do.

He had consumed three cups of the poison and was surely going to be dead by the end of the day.

"The tea water has run low, I'll go back to get some more," Lucy excused herself, gathering the teapot and cups onto her tray before exiting the pavilion.

Natsu's eyes followed her as she left. He had to go after her and get her to run away from the palace. He couldn't keep himself composed for much longer, and once he was dead, the royal family would surely head after her first.

He turned to face his father, his hands clenching into fists as he fought to conceal the pain that had begun to spread throughout his stomach and chest, "I need to step out for a moment."

Igneel gave him a subtle nod of his head, and Natsu bowed to him before he hurriedly walked through the aisle that ran between the two rows of tables. He could feel his family's eyes on him as he left, but he paid them no mind. Blood was beginning to fill his mouth, and he barely managed to make it out of the pavilion before a drop slipped through his lips.

His steps grew more unsteady the longer he walked, and his vision was beginning to blur. But he pushed himself to continue on and move faster. He had to catch up to Lucy and tell her to run away before they could catch her.

The prince leaned heavily on a nearby pillar as he rounded the porch's corner, and he felt like crying out in relief when he saw Lucy walking a short distance in front of him. But his throat had constricted, and he couldn't get his voice to work.

So he continued to stumble after her, his steps growing slower as he reached an arm out towards her.

A hacking cough suddenly shook his frame, and blood sprayed through the air.

The sound caused Lucy to finally spin around, her eyes widening and the tray slipping from her hands at the horrific sight that greeted her.

Blood was pouring from Natsu's mouth to stain the silk of his hanbok, his skin growing paler as his body grew limp and he collapsed onto the floor.

"Your Highness!" Lucy cried worriedly as she rushed over to his fallen form. She gently cradled his head in her lap as he continued to cough up blood, "Your Highness! What happened?!" She turned her cries outward, her voice becoming slightly choked as she frantically shouted, "Is anyone there?! Please! Somebody help me!"

Natsu clutched desperately at one of her hands as he struggled to choke out, "D-don't…please...be...b-be quiet."

Lucy's eyes were beginning to fill with tears, "W-what?"

"Y-you…you c-cannot…be here…g-go…now…"

The blonde's tears finally began to fall when the prince became limp her grasp. Her mind completely forgot about honorifics as she desperately cried, "Natsu!"

* * *

 **AN**

 **I told you guys that stuff was about to go down ;)**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	33. Chapter 33: Antidote

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Igneel gave him a subtle nod of his head, and Natsu bowed to him before he hurriedly walked through the aisle that ran between the two rows of tables. He could feel his family's eyes on him as he left, but he paid them no mind. Blood was beginning to fill his mouth, he barely managed to make it out of the pavilion before it was spilling down his chin._

Minerva stood quickly, preparing to hurry after him, and everyone's focus shifted to her curiously.

Igneel quirked a brow, "Is there something you want to say, Minerva?"

The dark haired woman snapped her gaze to Grandeeny, glowering at the Queen when she saw the satisfied smirk that rested on her features.

 _'She just poisoned her own son…and she's happy about it?'_

Minerva and Grandeeny had pledged to nominate Natsu as the next Crown Prince after Zeref was gone, and he had become an important part of the princess' plans to become Queen. She would make sure that Grandeeny didn't get away with what she'd done, but she still had to conceal the fact that she had played a part in the Queen's schemes.

Minerva took a deep breath to calm her anger, a plan forming in her head as she turned to face the King. She forced a sweet smile onto her face, "Ah, yes…I have an important request to ask of you, Your Majesty. It is a matter concerning my brother, Sting."

The blond prince paused in his action of drinking his tea, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"After seeing my fourth brother, I would also like three drinks. Then I will make my request."

An intrigued smile appeared on the King's face, "What is this request? I am starting to feel anxious."

Grandeeny raised a brow as Minerva moved to stand in front Zeref's table, bowing to him before filling her cup with the poisoned tea.

The princess turned back to the King, her sweet smile still gracing her features, "A lot of time has passed since my brother's wife passed on. Please allow him to remarry and prosper with many descendants."

The eighth prince's eyes widened at the request, "M-Minerva…"

"What do you have to say about the matter, Sting?" Igneel curiously asked.

The blonde prince breathed heavily as he stood, respectfully clasping his hands in front of him, "If you'll allow it, Your Majesty…there's someone that I have in mind."

A soft grin appeared on the King's face, "There is no reason for me to protest. I'll allow it."

Sting did his best to contain his excitement, quickly bowing to his father, "Thank you for your great benevolence."

Minerva smiled sweetly up at her father as she raised the teacup to her lips with both hands and tilted it to pour its contents. She held the cup in her right hand, and maneuvered her left so that the falling tea landed in the left sleeve of her black hanbok. She let out a quiet breath when she glanced down at the material, relieved that the wetness wasn't showing, just like she had hoped.

The princess resisted the urge to smirk when she caught sight of Grandeeny's wide eyes as she lowered the cup. If the Queen had believed that she consumed the poisoned tea, then all that was left was to finish her act.

If she could make her family believe that she'd been poisoned, then they would surely go to check on Natsu given that he had consumed the same tea. If all went as she hoped it would, then they might be able to save him, and then he would be alive to unwittingly help her in accomplishing her goal of becoming Queen.

Minerva gave her father another pleasant grin, "Your Majesty, my second request…my next…request…" She let her body go limp, biting into the flesh of her cheek as she let herself fall to the floor.

Sting was immediately at her side, but she pretended to be unconscious as he worriedly shook her shoulders and called her name.

Loke and Jellal both shot to their feet, their eyes wide as they rushed to huddle around their fallen sister. Gajeel and Zeref were now on their feet, too, though they remained standing by their respective tables.

Igneel rose out of his seat as well, shouting at one of his servants to fetch the doctor.

The Queen remained seated, her expression blank as she stared down at the princess.

Loke inhaled sharply when a single line of blood made its way down Minerva's chin, "Was…was she poisoned?"

"Natsu…" Jellal was suddenly rushing out of the pavilion, running in the same direction that the Fourth Prince had left.

* * *

 _Blood was pouring from Natsu's mouth to stain the silk of his hanbok, his skin growing paler as his body grew limp and he collapsed onto the floor._

 _"Your Highness!" Lucy cried worriedly as she rushed over to his fallen form. She gently cradled his head in her lap as he continued to cough up blood, "Your Highness! What happened?!" She turned her cries outward, her voice becoming slightly choked as she frantically shouted, "Is anyone there?! Please! Somebody help me!"_

 _Natsu clutched desperately at one of her hands as he struggled to choke out, "D-don't…please...be...b-be quiet."_

 _Lucy's eyes were beginning to fill with tears, "W-what?"_

 _"Y-you…you c-cannot…be here…g-go…now…"_

 _The blonde's tears finally began to fall when the prince became limp her grasp. Her mind completely forgot about honorifics as she desperately cried, "Natsu!"_

Lucy fisted her hands in the black silk of his hanbok, unconsciously continuing to shake his frame as she hysterically sobbed, "Why isn't anyone coming?! Please!"

The sound of footsteps pounding against the wood of the porch suddenly sounded out, and Jellal was soon sliding to his knees next to her. His eyes were wide as he took in the appearance of his older brother.

Lucy desperately clutched at the blue haired prince's forearm, tears continuing to stream down her face as she choked out, "He's vomiting blood and he won't wake up! What happened to him?!"

Jellal's eyes were slightly glassy as he met her gaze, "Its poison."

"P-poison?"

"Lucy, you have to help me move him. Now!"

As the two began struggling with Natsu's limp form, Loke, Zeref, Gajeel, and Gildarts rounded the corner behind them, a group of servants and guards following in their stead.

The astronomer knelt next to them, pressing two of his fingers against Natsu's wrist. He let out a relieved breath and turned to the Crown Prince, "He has a pulse."

Zeref's voice was full of authority as he addressed the servants that stood behind him, "Take the fourth prince to the doctor now!"

"Yes, Your Highness," the men chorused as they moved to fulfill the order.

Lucy reluctantly let two of them take Natsu from her grasp, and she stood to follow after them as they rushed away with Jellal and Zeref in their stead. But Gildarts held an arm out in front of her, his lips pressed into a grim line.

Her brows furrowed together in confusion as she looked up at him, and he sighed solemnly when he caught sight of the tears that still streamed down her cheeks.

"She was the one that brought the poisoned tea," Gajeel's harsh voice ground out from behind her.

Loke's eyes widened and he began to protest, "G-Gajeel…"

But the ninth prince paid him no mind, his glare remaining fixed on the blonde girl.

"It wasn't her!" The orange haired boy desperately continued. "Lucy would never do something like that! Especially not to Natsu!"

Gajeel still ignored his brother's cries, turning to address the guards that stood behind him, "Grab her!"

They rushed past Loke and rougly grabbed the blonde before he could do anything about it.

Gildarts sighed solemnly again as he looked down at her, seeming somewhat upset with his next words as he uttered them, "Lucy Heartfilia of the Damiwon Palace, you're under arrest for attempting to assassinate a prince. Your crime is punishable by execution."

* * *

Aquarius anxiously waited outside of Lucy's room as Jose and the palace guards tore it apart, searching for any evidence of the blonde's disloyalty to the throne.

The blue haired woman turned to one her court ladies, her voice an anxious whisper, "Where's Seilah? Find out why Lucy served the tea instead of her."

"We've already searched the entire palace, Court Lady Aquarius. But we can't find her…"

Aquarius clenched her fists as she watched Lucy's things get thrown about her room. Something wasn't right about this whole situation, and she wouldn't Lucy suffer when she was truly innocent.

Her eyes widened when one of the guards held up a small jar and declared, "I've found the poison."

"Just like I suspected we would," Jose smirked. Seilah had done well in completing her part of their plan.

* * *

Sting watched on anxiously as the palace doctor checked his sister's pulse. She hadn't regained consciousness since she had consumed the poison, and it worried him greatly.

"How is she, doctor? Why haven't you said anything?"

The man carefully set the princess' wrist on top of the comforter, turning to bow to the prince, "There's no need for you to worry. Unlike Prince Natsu, Princess Minerva only consumed a little of the poison. She'll wake up once the antidote starts to take effect."

Sting let out a relieved sigh, pressing his fingertips against his temple.

"You should rest, Your Highness. You've had a stressful day."

The prince gave a subtle nod of his head, "Keep an eye on her, and find me immediately if anything seems off."

"Yes, Your Highness," the doctor bowed him again as he left the room.

"You did a nice job of pretending, doctor. You'll be rewarded greatly when I become Queen," Minerva smirked as she sat up. "But tell no one of what you know about me pretending to drink poison. I'll have your head if word of this gets out."

* * *

Much like Sting had been watching anxiously over his sister, Jellal, Zeref, and Gildarts stood watching over Natsu as the doctor poured the antidote into the unconscious prince's mouth.

The salmon haired man's breathing had been labored ever since he'd lost consciousness, and his skin was incredibly pale compared to his normally tan complexion.

The astronomer let out a heavy breath once the doctor exited the room after he'd checked the prince's pulse, "It's a poison that could push one to the brink of death after just one drink. It's a relief that Grand General Makarov trained Prince Natsu's body to be resistant to poison. Otherwise he might have already been dead before we could give him the antidote."

Jellal's jaw clenched in anger, "Why do things like this only happen to Natsu? I truly thought he would die this time."

Zeref's gaze dropped to the floor, "It's because of me. I'm his older brother, and he's always putting his life on the line so that I don't have to face danger. First it was during the exorcism ritual, then during the rain ritual. And now he's consumed poisoned tea that was undoubtedly meant for me."

"He must have known that it was poisoned as soon as he drank the first cup," Gildarts remarked, his brows furrowed in thought. "I can't understand why he continued to drink it after that. Unless he was determined to die for some reason…"

"If you think about it, there were many things that were odd about this situation," Jellal started. "He asked to toast to you, Crown Prince, out of nowhere. And then he left the feast right after. I'm sure he knew that he'd been poisoned."

Gildarts eyes narrowed as he stared at the unconscious Natsu, "I believe he knows who the culprit is. He left so they wouldn't get found out."

Zeref lifted his gaze to rest on his younger brother again, his brows furrowing in concern, "But who is the culprit that he would put his life on the line to protect them?"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for your support and thank you so much for reading!**


	34. Chapter 34: My Greatest Comrade

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy pulled her knees into her chest in an attempt to retain her body heat since the silky material of her hanbok did little to keep her warm. The hay that she was resting on scratched against the skin of her legs as she did so, but she paid it no mind.

The cell that she'd been thrown into had wooden poles on one side instead of a fourth wall, and it left the space open to the cold night air.

Although it was a contributing factor, the cold wasn't the only reason that Lucy's form was shivering. As the guards dragged her to her cell, she'd seen the men that occupied the rooms adjacent to hers. They were all covered in blood from the torture they'd been put through in retribution for their crimes, and some of them laid completely still in the blood covered hay, their chests barely rising and falling.

Lucy knew she would eventually face the same fate, and the thought terrified her.

The movies, shows, and books of her time all glorified Ishgar, highlighting the nation's success in war and the talent of the people when it came to art, music, and dancing.

But now Lucy knew the truth.

Ishgar was a horribly cruel place. One that made family and friends turn their backs on each other. One where children are expected to wield a sword at a very young age. One where the only way to survive was killing others. It was a place where royalty was obsessed with seeking justice but was simultaneously unwilling to listen to the cries of people who called out for it.

Lucy knew she was going to die for a crime she didn't commit. She would be tortured and interrogated for answers she didn't have, and when they were done with her, they would tie a noose around her neck and she would be put to death.

Her only hope rested with the princes. She had no doubt that Sting, Loke, and Jellal would fight for her like crazy. The three had done so when she'd been taken to marry the King, and they hadn't changed a bit since then.

But that day, the princes' pleading had done nothing to sway the King's decision, and Lucy was sure things would have a similar outcome this time as well.

Gray would also probably be doing everything he could to save her if things were like they used to be. But he was no longer in the palace, and he probably had no indication as to what was happening. Lucy grieved over the fact that his last words to her would be, 'I don't want to see your face ever again.' He was her first friend in Ishgar, and Lucy might have even called him her best friend at one point. But their relationship had unwilling been brought to somewhat of an end the day of his arranged marriage.

The blonde had been hoping to fix things between them, but now she might never get that chance.

And Natsu…Lucy didn't even know if he was still alive. The prince had been vomiting blood the last time she'd seen him, and he'd lost consciousness just before the guards had dragged her away. His blood still covered her hands, and her eyes began to sting with tears as she stared at them.

Lucy told herself the prince wasn't one to be taken down by something as simple as poison, and her knowledge of the future told her he was supposed to live long enough to become king. But her presence here and her involvement with the royal family might have had an impact on the way things were going to play out, so she couldn't help but fear that the worst had happened.

The fact that she'd been the one to serve Natsu the poisoned tea weighed heavily on her mind too, and was another cause for her violent shivering. Even if she'd done it unknowingly, she might've been the one that brought the prince's life to an end.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks at the thought, and her hands clenched into the forest green material of her skirt as she buried her head in her folded arms.

Ishgar was a horribly cruel place.

* * *

Igneel's hands clenched on the armrests of his golden throne as Jose brought his accusation to an end, "Are you trying to say that the Crown Prince is the one who ordered that girl to poison Natsu?!"

Jose's eyes slid to Zeref before he began stating the evidence, "A jar of the same poison that was discovered in the tea and a precious necklace were found in Court Lady Lucy Heartfilia's room. The necklace bore the marks of the Vermillion family, Crown Prince Zeref's in-laws. Also, it has been reported that the girl visits his quarters regularly. There is a witness who has seen the two of them conversing often, one on one."

Zeref clenched his jaw as he listened to Gajeel's father-in-law speak. Most of the information was true. Lucy had been coming to his room regularly for quite some time to help him with his skin disease, and he'd given her the necklace in an attempt to compensate her for her efforts. But Jose was using that information to support an accusation that was so clearly false.

The Crown Prince would never harm his younger brothers, especially Natsu. When the fourth prince was a young child, before his face had been scarred, he would trail behind Zeref wherever he went, excitedly asking about his many duties. Although he tolerated him, it often annoyed the Crown Prince to no end.

But then the Queen had brutally scarred the young prince's face. Zeref had been the one to watch over him after the event, and he became incredibly protective of his younger brother.

It tore at his heart when Grandeeny sent the salmon haired prince away to be 'adopted' by the Strauss family, and it hurt even more to see how distant Natsu had become every time he came to visit the palace.

Zeref was pulled out of his thoughts as Jose continued on with his accusation, a subtle but cruel smirk on his face, "It's possible that Prince Zeref was attempting to stop Prince Natsu from taking his place as Crown Prince."

The dark haired prince finally lost his temper, "Are you accusing me of being a shameless person who would kill their little brother in order to maintain their position? After all your planning, all you could come up with was false accusations based on rumors?! I dare you to say it once more. Say that I poisoned my own brother just to protect myself!"

"Then what is your reason for giving that necklace to Court Lady Lucy? If you wish to clear up such rumors, then you should tell us the truth."

Zeref suddenly took an angry step towards the man, but a hand wrapped around his forearm to hold him back.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Gildarts bent in a bow as he maintained his grasp on the prince's arm, "Please, Your Highness. This argument is disrespectful to His Majesty." The astronomer stepped closer and lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper, "Your illness will be exposed if you keep this up. So please, calm down."

The Crown Prince took a heavy breath as he stepped back into line next to Sting. The blond was the only other prince that had shown up at the meeting, and Zeref looked to him gratefully as he came to his aid.

"As of late, the Crown Prince has busied himself with protecting our nation and preparing the feast that took place yesterday. So how could he plan a poisoning?" Sting fixed Jose with a glare, "And you say that he gave the poison to a court lady that he was friendly with at the Damiwon. Doesn't this all sound like an accusation meant to help the true culprit escape punishment?"

Jose's expression faltered at the blond prince's words, and the other advisors in the room all began muttering amongst themselves.

"And besides, I was there at the feast," Sting steadily continued. "The poisoned tea had initially been brought for the Crown Prince, so I believe it was intended for him. There was no way that the Crown Prince could have planned for Natsu to consume it, he only ended up doing so by chance. And let's not forget the fact that my sister also drank the poisoned tea."

Jose quirked a brow, his lips quirking at the corners, "Then, are you saying that Court Lady Lucy tried to poison Crown Prince Zeref?"

Sting's glare intensified and he fought to control his temper at the accusation. He knew without a doubt that Lucy was innocent, but letting one's feelings get involved when dealing with the matters of the palace was unwise, so he simply replied, "That's not something that we conclude yet, so I would advise you against making such rash accusations."

"That's enough," Igneel's voice suddenly rang out. His hands were still clenched around the arm rests of his throne, but his face seemed grim, "You all may leave, except for the Crown Prince and Gildarts."

Jose glared at Zeref as he left, the corners of his lips quirking in fury.

The throne room was silent for quite some time after Sting, Jose, and the other royal advisors had vacated it. The astronomer and Crown Prince stood quietly before the King as they waited for him to speak, their hands clasped respectfully in front of them.

Igneel's heavy sigh broke the silence, "Court Lady Lucy Heartfilia will be punished by hanging for the attempted assassination of a prince."

"She's done nothing wrong!" Zeref protested.

Gildarts' voice was grim, "If we don't find a way to deal with this problem quickly, you could be in serious trouble, Your Highness."

"I can't let an innocent person die because I wanted to protect myself!" Zeref turned his gaze back to his father, "If you insist on punishing someone by death because of this crime, then throw me aside instead."

"That's nonsense!"

The dark haired prince shook his head, "There's been enough misfortune because of me. If you cast me away and appoint a new Crown Prince, the nation and royal family will finally be at peace." He paused to swallow heavily, a sort of grim acceptance beginning to arise within him, "I can't properly perform my responsibilities because of my disease, and my good deeds are beginning to dwindle in number. What reason could you possibly have for keeping me as Crown Prince?"

The King's expression filled with slight sorrow, "Zeref…you're my first born. The others are the sons of a king. You were the only that was born to me before I became a ruler. As a teenager, you stayed by my side as I fought wars against enemy nations. We stood back to back and saved each other's lives. You're not only my son…you are my greatest comrade! To you…I will leave everything."

* * *

Jellal watchfully followed behind Natsu as the salmon haired prince determinedly stumbled down one of the palace's corridors. He lunged forward to catch his older brother when the man suddenly lurched forward as he began coughing brutally.

"Natsu, you shouldn't be moving around like this. You'll only make your condition worse!"

The salmon haired prince desperately shook his head as he leaned heavily against his brother, his voice struggling to choke out, "That girl…she's all alone…I need to see her…"

"Natsu!" Jellal called after the prince when he pushed away and began stumbling down the hallway once again. He came to a stop when Sting suddenly rounded the corner in front of them.

The blonde prince's expression was grim as he took in the sight of his brother, "Administer Jose Porla claims that Crown Prince Zeref used Lucy to poison you."

Natsu's brows furrowed, "That's nonsense…"

Sting's voice rose in volume as his frustration at the situation grew, "I know that it's nonsense! Everyone knows! But there's no way out of it!" He fixed Natsu with a glare as he continued, "I shouldn't have let Lucy get mixed up with you. That's why all of this happened."

The salmon haired prince glanced over at Jellal before he matched the blonde prince's glare, sweat beginning to drip down his forehead as he fought to remain standing, "We have something to talk about in private."

Jellal shifted his gaze between his brothers, "What?"

"Leave. Now!" Natsu harshly commanded.

The blue haired prince looked between them again before he reluctantly bowed and walked away.

Natsu clenched his jaw and took in a heavy breath before he ground out, "It was my mother. She's the one that poisoned the tea. She said so herself."

Sting's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Then did you drink the tea for your mother's sake? Just like you killed those assassins for her?"

The salmon haired prince scoffed lightly as he shook his head, "I did it to save Lucy and Zeref. I was trying to keep anyone from finding out about the poison. But it got complicated because Minerva drank it as well. I couldn't tell anyone about the poison beforehand, my mother had prepared things too well."

He paused as he considered his next words, "Sting…if you help me, we could expose my mother. We could save Lucy and Zeref from being wrongfully punished!"

The blonde prince dropped his focus to the ground momentarily before reconnecting his gaze with Natsu, his lips pressed into a thin line, "I'll do it…for Lucy."

* * *

 **AN**

 **The next chapter will begin with Natsu going to see Lucy!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	35. Chapter 35: Indebted to One Other

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu swallowed heavily as he passed six cells that contained bloodied and unmoving bodies. Some of the people inside were probably lifeless after the torture they'd been through, and he couldn't decide whether or not they were lucky for having died before they could be officially executed.

The prince probably shouldn't be feeling pity for the prisoners. It was his own father that had put them there, and justice demanded that they be killed for their crimes. But the torture that some of these people had been put through was inhumane, and seeing their mangled limbs sickened him.

The fact that he was passing by bodies which were possibly corpses wasn't the only thing that had him unsettled. He was very familiar with what it felt like to be around the dead, and he was sometimes even the cause of their presence in the first place.

There was another reason that Natsu's breaths were heavy as his eyes scanned each cell, and his heart filled with worry when he didn't find what he was looking for atop the piles of hay.

Lucy.

She was in one of these cells, and Natsu prayed that when he finally spotted her head of golden hair that it wouldn't be matted with blood.

He knew the chances of her being unharmed were incredibly small. She'd already been a prisoner for an entire day, and the punishers of Ishgar weren't the type of people to wait for an official decree to start their torture. They were cruel and merciless, just like the nation they served.

Natsu's heart dropped when he finally found her.

It looked as if she had been thrown into her cell and hadn't bothered to move after the fact. She appeared to be sleeping, but her form was shaking, and small whimpers escaped her pale lips as she clenched her fists in the bloodied hay she rested on. The red substance also tainted her once pure white hanbok, primarily around her wrists, neck, and lower legs. It dripped from a gash across her forehead and her nose as well, smearing across her cheek to drip onto the floor and into her hair.

It didn't take Natsu long to figure out what had been done to her.

She'd endured leg screw torture, the most brutal form of extracting information that the authorities of Ishgar used. One of her knees was surely fractured, possibly worse if the amount of blood soaking the skirt her hanbok was anything to go by.

She must've been beaten as well. Blood coated her cracked lips and there were bruises littering her cheeks and forehead.

Fury overwhelmed Natsu's emotions. Lucy was innocent, and he was determined to prove it to his father. He'd even managed to get Sting on his side.

But enough damage had already been done. Lucy might never recover from the mental and emotional wounds, and she may never be able to walk again because of what had been done to her knee.

He clenched his hand around one of the poles that separated him from the blonde, and the wood creaked with the pressure that he applied to it. Lucy's eyes drug open at the sound. Her brown orbs wandered for a moment before they eventually found him, and her lips quirked at the corners when she finally seemed to recognize who he was.

She shakily pushed her upper body up as he crouched down next to the bars, her lips forming a small smile and her voice hoarse as she shakily breathed out, "I knew it. I knew you wouldn't die."

Natsu clenched his jaw at her words. She managed to smile for him despite her obvious pain, and she was worrying about him when she had just endured hours of torture. It was such a Lucy thing to do, and it only caused him to feel more anger at the situation.

But he managed to give her the smallest of smiles in return, fighting to keep his voice calm as he replied, "Of course. It's going to take more than that to kill me."

Lucy's brows furrowed, "You knew it was poisoned…you must have known as soon as you took the first sip…so why did you drink it?"

Natsu said nothing in response, but the way he gazed at her was answer enough.

He'd done it to save her.

The blonde's eyes teared up slightly as she recalled the image of him vomiting blood into her lap. A small, hysteric laugh escaped her lips, "You're so stubborn, Your Highness…Who am I…that you would put your life on the line for me?"

The prince's lips quirked slightly at the corners, "You've managed to cause me a lot of trouble in the few months I've known you. Life would be quite boring without you." His grin suddenly faded, and his voice was much softer as he continued, "We've both fought to survive everything that's been thrown at us so far. That's why I know that you'll survive this, too, and we'll be able to meet outside of these bars soon."

A watery smile formed on Lucy's face, and she slowly nodded her head as she sniffled, "Then you need to survive as well, Your Highness. So listen to the doctor, and do what he says. You shouldn't be walking around yet, and you definitely shouldn't be out in the cold like this. You just said that you know I'll make it out of here, right? So you don't have come visit me again. I'll be fine, I promise."

Natsu scoffed lightly before muttering to himself, "Always lecturing."

The prince watched on worriedly as she shakily lowered her upper body back onto the hay, their eyes never breaking contact.

He would get her out of this, even if he had to betray his family to do so.

* * *

Sting followed behind Kyouka as the court lady made her way through the dark, oblivious to the eyes that watched her. The servants of the palace weren't meant to be out this late at night, and the woman's mannerisms had tipped the prince off.

She was going to meet somebody, and if his suspicions were right, the court lady had something to do with the poison that had found its way into the tea on the day of the feast. If Sting was going to help prove Lucy's innocence, he would need evidence. So he followed behind the woman as she snuck about.

The prince pressed himself against the outside of one of the palace's many buildings when he heard Kyouka begin speaking with someone just around the corner. He carefully peeked around the edge of the building, catching a quick glimpse of the court lady bowing to a figure in a black cloak.

He pulled back, leaning against the wall again as his mind went over what he'd just seen. If Kyouka was bowing to the figure, that meant whoever it was had to be someone of high status, most likely someone from the royal family. Natsu had told him that Grandeeny was the one who poisoned the tea, so there was a good chance the cloaked figure was her.

Sting peeked around the corner again, just in time to see the figure handing Kyouka a small sack. Judging by the clinking that rang through the air as the sack settled into the court lady's hands, the prince concluded it was filled with coins.

The sound only heightened Sting's suspicions. Even if this situation wasn't related to Natsu's poisoning, secret exchanges of currency were never a good thing.

So he prepared to act, reaching up and withdrawing the metal pin that held his bun in place. It was all he had access to at the moment, but its sharp tip would be more than enough to threaten his opponents.

He lunged at Kyouka as soon she appeared around the corner, pulling her back into his chest and pointing the tip of his hairpin at her throat before she could fight back. Her hand instinctively came up to grasp at his arm, but his strength was much greater than hers. He was a prince, and if he couldn't overpower a simple court lady, then what good was he?

Sting glared at the cloaked figure, but their back remained turned to him, their stance unwavering.

"Why don't you lower your hood and show me your face? You're a royal family member, I've already figured out that much. Are you really going to let a court lady die just to protect yourself?"

He tightened his grip on Kyouka when the figure made no move, the court lady gasping when he began to dig the tip of the hairpin into the flesh of her neck, "I have my witness already, so there's no point in hiding. Must I call the royal guards?"

His jaw clenched as they finally turned to face him, slim hands reaching up to grasp the hood on both sides before sliding it back to rest on their shoulders.

Sting's grip on Kyouka loosened at the face that greeted him, his arms falling to hang limply at his sides.

It was Minerva. His once sweet, innocent little sister.

Kyouka immediately retreated a short distance away from the pair, but she remained in their proximity, knowing that running away would be pointless. There was nowhere in Ishgar that she could go to escape the King's power.

Minerva seemed angry at having been caught, but there was no weakness in her expression as she stared at her brother, "That's right, Sting. It's me."

The blonde prince couldn't bring himself to weakly utter out more than, "Minerva…why?"

The princess raised a thin brow, "Should it really matter why? You need evidence to save Lucy, so you're going to tell the King that I did it no matter what my reasoning was, right?"

Sting's hand clenched around his hairpin, his voice rough as he ground out, "If your crime is exposed…our family will be labeled as traitors."

"That's right. I'll be hanged…and you'll be exiled. Our hometown of Crocus will become a wasteland."

"Why?! Why did you do it?!"

"I wanted you to wake up!" Minerva ground out, a sneer forming on her lips. "You should be this nation's king, but you threw it away for that girl!"

"I don't want to be king!"

"Lies!" the princess shouted. She shortened distance between them, her breathes growing heavy as her fury continued to grow, "I know you better than that, Sting. When you're alone…what are your inner, most secret thoughts? What were you thinking as you watched Natsu during the rain ritual? Was it 'that should've been my seat?' Or 'those cheers should be for me?' I watched you with my own eyes. I know you envy Natsu…I know you want to become king."

Sting couldn't find his voice to protest her words.

Minerva glared up at him, her voice deathly calm, "If you say everything I've just said isn't true…then you can tell the King about my crimes, and throw me away. I knew what I was getting myself into the moment I gave that court lady the poison. I've prepared myself for death."

The blonde prince stared at her numbly for a few moments before his right arm was suddenly swinging through the air. Minerva flinched as his hairpin shot past her, flying to embed itself into Kyouka's neck. The court lady fell to the ground, futilely clutching at the pin as she began choking on her own blood.

Minerva's eyes were wide in disbelief as she looked back to her brother.

Sting was breathing heavily, his shoulders still twisted from throwing the pin. His bangs shadowed his eyes as he ground out, "You knew…you knew I wouldn't be able to throw you away. But from this point on…Minerva…I will no longer treat you like my sweet sister."

The princess flinched slightly as his eyes finally slid to connect with hers. His face was void of all emotion, and his normally bright eyes looked lifeless.

"From now…I will treat you as a debtor. You to me…and me to you. We are indebted to each other. Nothing more."

The dark haired woman clenched her jaw, "That debt…is one that I will repay by giving you the throne."

* * *

Sting walked numbly towards the building Lucy was imprisoned in. He wanted to see her. He wanted to save her.

But he couldn't. Doing so would result in Minerva's death.

So he turned his back on the prison, his feet dragging in the dirt as he stalked through the night.

* * *

 **AN**

 **I hope that last bit with Sting and Minerva wasn't too confusing...but basically Sting's stuck between condemning Minerva to save Lucy and letting Lucy die so that Minerva can live.**

 **And also what happened to Lucy...I didn't want to go into too much detail with leg screw torture, but basically they put so much pressure on your knees that they either dislocate or the bone breaks. In some cases, like Lucy's, the fractured bone can puncture through the skin.**

 **Thank you for your support and thank you for reading!**


	36. Chapter 36: Dying Request

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Loke was too anxious to sit still, so he began pacing through Sting's study instead. The room had once been a place of celebration, and it had been his siblings' most common meeting place. It was where Lucy and Gray had initiated their humorous skirmish and it was where the blonde had given Sting her drawing, both of which had brought Loke great joy.

But now the atmosphere of the room was tense, and Sting and Gajeel were its only other occupants.

The orange haired prince glared at each of his older brothers in turn as he paced back and forth. Gajeel had been the one that ordered Lucy's arrest, and Sting was simply shuffling through documents instead of working on a way to save the blonde girl.

He came to a quick stop in front of the Eighth Prince's desk, his fists clenching at his sides as he ground out, "What is Lucy supposed to do to survive if we don't help her? How can you just sit there when we should be coming up with a way to save her?!"

The orange haired prince let out a sound similar to a growl when his older brother only continued to skim through the pile of papers, "If you won't help me, then I'll save her by myself! I'm going to plead with the King."

Sting slammed the stack of documents back onto the table, his eyes narrowing but focusing on nothing in particular as he ground out, "Stop hiding and come on out."

Loke's brows furrowed in confusion, and his lack of understanding only grew as Gajeel suddenly stood. The Ninth Prince sighed irritably as he reached through one of the room's open doorways, his hand grabbing onto something that Loke couldn't see.

Gajeel roughly dragged a small servant girl into the room, shoving her towards Sting. His voice was harsh, "He told you to come out. You should obey your master when he tells you to do something."

The anger immediately disappeared from Sting's features as he caught sight of who their eavesdropper was.

Levy hadn't been the same since the day Lucy had been taken away from the estate, and Sting felt saddened every time he saw what type of person the formally vibrant girl had become. She went about her tasks lifelessly, and her smiles were few and far in between.

The blue haired girl's hands clenched around the tray of teas she held as Gajeel continued to scold her, "You dare to spy on princes?"

Levy finally raised her gaze to look at Sting, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice weak as she asked, "Is it true that Lady Lucy is going to be executed? Why would she? She would never hurt anyone!"

Gajeel scoffed as tears began streaming down the servant's cheeks, "You shouldn't get involved. You're a servant, there's nothing you can do."

The blue haired girl fell to her knees in front her master, desperately pleading with him, "You can't let that happen, Your Highness! You can't let Lady Lucy die! Save her, please!"

Loke glared at Sting as his older brother simply went back to scanning over his papers, completely ignoring the crying girl that begged to him on her knees.

* * *

"No matter you say, it can't be stopped. Her crimes were too severe."

Natsu clenched his jaw at Igneel's reply. He'd come to the throne room to plead for Lucy's life, and the King hadn't been swayed. Sting was supposed to be here helping him, but the blonde prince hadn't shown up. So Natsu had gone in alone, his heart heavy with fear for Lucy and anger that he had no evidence to prove her innocence.

The salmon haired prince swallowed heavily before he attempted to continue reasoning with the King, "You've always been fair, Your Majesty. So why was the investigation so poorly executed this time? Everyone can clearly see that Lucy's innocent."

Natsu's anger only grew as the King's silence sparked an idea in his mind, "If Lucy is executed for the crime, then the people will have no reason to continue accusing the Crown Prince. You're…you're using her to protect Zeref, aren't you?"

Igneel's voice was firm as he stated, "I'm simply protecting the nation. I'm using one small life to save a more important life."

Natsu effortlessly held his father's powerful gaze, immune to the King's attempt at intimidating him, "Now I see that being a king means to cast people aside in order to protect your own life."

"Do you want me to have _you_ executed as well?" the King slammed his hand down onto the table in front of him, the sharp noise echoing throughout the empty throne room. "I thought that you were a well-forged sword, but your disobedience says otherwise."

"The owner must be just in order to wield the sword properly. Maybe the fault doesn't lie within me, but within _you,_ Your Majesty."

Igneel held firm, "If you come begging me to me again, I'll have you executed. And tell your brothers that anyone who comes to speak for Lucy will receive the same punishment."

"Your Majesty!"

The King ignored his son's cries, instead retrieving a scroll from his table and using it to block his face from view.

"Your Majesty!" Natsu's eyes began to fill with frustrated tears as his father remained silent. He'd grown used to his family ignoring him, but matters were much more important this time around.

Lucy's life was at risk, and if Natsu couldn't convince his father to let her go, he didn't know what else he could do to save her.

* * *

Aquarius clenched her hand around the wooden poles that separated her from Lucy. She had come to see the blonde, and had been a little disappointed when she'd arrived to see that the girl was asleep.

But the anger she felt upon seeing the blonde's current state was far more prominent than her disappointment. The girl was coated in her own blood, and her skin was deathly pale, nearly the same color as the spots on her hanbok that were still white. She was shivering as she slept, though Aquarius didn't know if it was because of the cold or because of the nightmares that she was surely having after enduring hours of torture.

The blue haired court lady fought off the tears that stung at the back of her eyes. She'd already cried because of Lucy once, which was more than enough.

"You should've run away with Prince Natsu when you had the chance, Lucy…" Her voice was hushed as she spoke to the blonde, uncaring that the girl was unconscious, "You once told me that maybe I could learn a few things from you, and I was immediately appalled at the idea. But now…I'm thinking about doing something reckless…something I know you would do for me if our roles were reversed."

* * *

Aquarius paused in her steps as she saw Sting waiting in the palace's room that was used to brew tea. He seemed anxious as he stood, his hands continuously clenching and unclenching around the edge of one of the room's tables.

The blue haired court lady didn't know what was running through his head, but whatever he was dealing with seemed to have drained him of all his energy, leaving him exhausted.

She slowly made her way closer to him, respectfully bowing to him before she softly spoke, "I take it that you're not here to drink tea, Your Highness."

The blonde prince regarded her in silence for a moment, his brows scrunching together as he thought over what to say, "Court Lady Aquarius…you're the only person left of whom I can request this. Stand up for Lucy. The King has forbid any of the princes to speak on her behalf. But he trusts you. You were once the lover of one of his most trusted generals, and you were there to help him when he founded Ishgar. So please. I believe you have the power to change his mind."

"I can't request something like this using the fact that we were once close. I cannot manipulate King Igneel in that way."

"Then…you are going to ignore all of this until it's over? You're going to leave Lucy to die?"

Aquarius didn't reply, only lowering her gaze to the floor.

"I know you feel like a mother to her. That's why you didn't like seeing her with me."

The blue haired woman looked to the prince again, staring at him pointedly, "Why is it that you cannot stand up for her yourself, Your Highness? You said you loved her, right? If you truly did, then you would do whatever you could to save her, even if you died in the process."

All of Sting's vigor seemed to disappear, and his expression froze at her words.

"Is it your household that's holding you back? Though, given recent events, I suppose it may have something to do with succession to the throne." The blue haired court lady let out a bitter laugh, "The reason that the men of the royal family all become cowards is always the same."

"Court Lady Aquairus-"

"Someday, you'll come to regret how cowardly you were today. I can promise you that. The one time you turned your back on Lucy will haunt your conscience forever."

Sting stared at her numbly, his face blank.

"I'll meet with the King, though not because you asked me to. I care for Lucy very much, she is like a daughter to me." Aquarius turned her gaze back to the blonde prince, her tone becoming slightly spiteful, "Unless you stop being a coward, you won't be able to save anyone, Your Highness. Not even yourself."

* * *

Igneel kept his eyes trained on Aquarius as the court lady kneeled off to his side after serving him his nighttime tea. They would normally engage in light conversation as the woman went about her tasks, but tonight she was completely silent.

"Please say something, Court Lady Aquarius. Just don't say anything about Lucy. I've grown tired of hearing people plead for her."

"It was me," Aquarius started firmly, bowing her head. "I was the one that tried to poison the Crown Prince. All those years ago, just after Scorpio had been killed…I lost our baby. I had to watch on as the princes all grew up healthy, and I envied them for inheriting the throne. So I attempted to poison the Crown Prince."

Igneel sighed deep in his throat, the noise sounding almost like a growl, "You cannot fool me, Aquarius. I told you that there was nothing you could do to save that girl."

The blue haired court lady wasn't one to give up so easily, "Why are you going after an innocent girl? I will admit to my crimes, so let Lucy-"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear you say that," the King attempted to focus on his tea, but his eyes were drawn back to the woman as she reached into the waist belt of her hanbok, withdrawing a blood stained white cloth.

"Ten years ago…" Aquarius started, her voice uncharacteristically sorrowful, "…a person of high status sent me some quince tea. It was supposed to help with my morning sickness, so I drank it every day. I would sometimes wake up at night to drink it as well. Not even seven days had passed…I…I lost Scorpio's baby. The tea was laced with poison…and now, the same person who sent me the tea and caused my miscarriage…she has given someone else poisoned tea. And because of her, I might lose another child. Lucy…she is like a daughter to me. I can't lose her, too…"

Igneel's voice was still firm, but it had softened a fraction after her sorrowful words, "Lucy isn't the child you lost, Court Lady Aquarius. And there's no evidence that it was Queen Grandeeny who did it."

The woman finally tore her gaze off of the bloodstained cloth on the floor in front of her to look to the King. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her expression showed no sign of wavering, "If you truly believe that your wife is innocent, then you are blind, Your Majesty." Her eyes fell to the floor once more, "I will die soon."

"Aquarius-"

"It's been two days since I've been able to digest food. My vomiting has returned. I went to see the doctor…he says it's stomach cancer."

Igneel couldn't find his voice to respond.

The blue haired court lady broke the silence after a few moments, her voice unwaveringly strong, "I know that you're killing Lucy in order to protect the Crown Prince. And I know that you cannot save them both. However, I cannot lose another child to Queen Grandeeny. So please help me, Your Majesty. It's my last request."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Let me tell you guys, writing those last two scenes brought me immense joy...Ah, gotta love Aquarius :) She's finally putting people in their place**

 **And Levy finally made another appearance! We haven't seen her since chapter thirteen.**

 **I hope that you all kind of see where Igneel's coming from. I like that Scarlet Heart Ryeo makes a point of emphasizing how many different things are influencing him and how difficult making decisions as King was.**

 **Thank you guys so much for your support and thank you for reading!**


	37. Chapter 37: The Gallows

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword as he ran through the palace. It'd just been announced that Lucy's execution was taking place sometime within in the next hour, and the news had caught the prince off guard. She'd only been a prisoner for two days, and criminals were normally interrogated for weeks before they were sentenced to death.

But it appeared that the King had wanted to end the whole ordeal as quickly as possible.

Natsu thought that he would have more time to prove Lucy's innocence. But as he ran though the palace, he prayed that she wasn't being dragged to the gallows already.

* * *

Lucy swallowed heavily as the guards pulled her around the corner, the gallows entering her line of sight.

She'd been roughly shaken awake nearly half an hour ago, the guards taking a moment to beat her senseless again before mercilessly dragging her out of her cell. They'd forced her to walk on her on own for most of the journey, her bare feet bleeding and her leg with the fractured bones dragging painfully behind her as she limped along. She wanted to collapse to the ground more than anything else, the agony that she felt causing her vision to go hazy. But the guards would only beat her more if she did so, she had found that out only a short while ago.

Her eyes zeroed on one of the nooses that hung before her, ' _Am…am I going to die?'_

The blonde's focus was drawn to the side as a figure suddenly flew the entrance to the courtyard where the gallows rested. Her mind was slow to process that it was Natsu.

His eyes immediately found her in the middle of the group of guards, and he worriedly rushed towards her with a cry of her name.

Lucy was vaguely of the guards drawing their swords and moving to block the prince's path.

Natsu let a noise that sounded almost like a growl, his vicious gaze scanning over the group that opposed him, "Move."

The guards only shuffled closer to him, and he glared at them before launching his attack. He knocked the one nearest to him to the ground with a well-placed boot to the chest before using his sword to block another's attempt at swiping down on him. He knocked his current opponent's sword from his hands before punching him square in the face, most likely giving the man a broken nose.

There were numerous guards that had come to face him, but only one more stood directly in Natsu's path to Lucy.

The prince took him out with a spinning kick to the head, sending the man stumbling to the ground next to his fallen comrade.

Natsu rushed to Lucy as soon as the path was clear, using one hand to push her behind him while the other held his sword at the ready.

The rest of the guards aimed their swords at the pair, but none were brave enough to actually launch an attack. The salmon haired man had downed three of them with only a few hits, and both Natsu and the guards knew he could do much more. He was prince, one that had been trained by Grand General Makarov himself. The skills of lowly soldiers were nothing compared to what he was capable of.

Natsu glanced over his shoulder, his heart filling with worry when he saw how Lucy struggled to remain conscious. Her hands were clenched in the back of his hanbok, and her forehead pressed in between his shoulder blades as she leaned on him heavily.

He turned his focus back to the guards, his sword raised in warning, "She's coming with me."

The guards didn't move, so Natsu swiped his sword towards them as a threat, "Must I slaughter one of you before you obey my command and clear the way?"

"It's a royal order!" a new voice called out. The group looked over to see Gildarts running through the same entrance Natsu had used, waving a piece of parchment above his head, "I have a royal order."

The astronomer ran into the center of the circle, placing himself between Natsu and the dozens of swords that were pointed at the prince, "The hanging has been canceled! The real culprit has been found!"

Natsu's eyes widened, though his mind didn't have much time to process the information. He felt Lucy's hands leave the back of habok, and he turned just in time to see her eyes slide shut. He caught her as her body went limp, carefully lowering himself to the ground with her in his arms and cradling her unconscious form in his lap.

"Lucy!"

* * *

Aquarius was calmer than she thought she would be as she exits the main building of the palace for the last time. Her court ladies had all come to bid her farewell and watch her go, tears streaming down some of their faces. She did her best to give them reassuring smiles as she walked towards the guards that waited for her, but she's never been the best at providing comfort.

The guard at the head of the group seemed a bit displeased at his next words as he utters them, "Court Lady Aquarius of the Damiwon, you're under arrest for the crime of regicide."

The blue haired woman doesn't falter at his words, instead giving him a simple nod of her head.

"Court Lady Aquarius!" the frantic cry of her name has her head whipping to the side in order to find the source, and her eyes widen when she sees a bloodied Lucy desperately limping towards her. Natsu was there too, his eyes filled with worry as he rushes after the blonde.

Lucy tightly grasped onto Aquarius' shoulders once she's close enough, her eyes beginning to fill with tears, "Court Lady Aquarius, what are they saying? What do they mean regicide?!"

Natsu placed himself between the two women and the guards, his eyes daring them to come closer. He no longer had his sword, but the guards were fully aware that the prince is more than capable of taking them all down without it.

Aquarius held Lucy's gaze, her expression showing no emotion, "I put the poison in the Crown Prince's tea."

Natsu glanced over his shoulder at her and the blonde shook her head numbly, "Lies."

"I'm sorry that I framed you for it, Lucy."

The girl was suddenly grasping onto her wrist, dragging the woman behind her as she limped away from the group of guards.

They made to follow after the pair, but Natsu stepped into their path, his jaw clenched as he glared at each of them in turn, "Go after them and you're dead."

Aquarius felt sorrow start to overcome her emotions when she realized where Lucy was desperately dragging her to. She let the blonde pull her along as she limped through the palace, entering the royal springs and walking down the path that would take them to the cave that lead out of the palace. It was the only exit that wouldn't be guarded by soldiers, and Aquarius knew exactly why Lucy had brought her here.

It tore at her heart to see the look of sorrow overtake the blonde's expression when the exit of the cave came into view. The opening had been sealed by piles of stone.

"Lucy, there's no way out. It's been blocked."

The girl shook her head desperately, "We can open it up again. We can remove the stones." She looked back to Aquarius, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice choked, "You said that we should go to your hometown together, right? So…let's go now."

Aquarius watched on as the girl moved to begin the task of removing the stones, the woman's own tears beginning to fall.

"Wherever you say we should go…I will go, Court Lady Aquarius," Lucy painstakingly drug the first stone off the pile, her breathing becoming labored as she fought off unconsciousness. Her knee was sending jolts of agony through her body, and it hurt to just remain standing. But she would be strong. She would save Aquarius. So she began working on the next stone, "I can't live like this anymore…"

Aquarius suddenly grasped onto one of her arms, spinning the blonde to face her. She clutched Lucy's shoulders, her own tears streaming down her cheeks, "Lucy…that's enough."

The blonde began full on sobbing, shaking her head desperately, "They're using us to cover everything up! And you're dying so that I can live! Then…then what do you expect me to do? How will I live after you're gone? I can't let you do this, Court Lady Aquarius. So we're going to leave!"

She turned back to the pile of stones, and Aquarius caught her arm again. Though this time she used her grip to pull the blonde into her chest, wrapping her arms around the girl as she sobbed into her shoulder.

Aquarius swallowed heavily as she fought to keep her emotions under control, "Lucy…it's not your fault. I'm doing it for you. I'm not able to live much longer anyways. So you don't need to feel sorry for me."

Lucy desperately clenched her hands into the back of the woman's hanbok, her voice weak as her sobbing persisted, "Please…please…"

"I'm fine, Lucy," she forced a reassuring smile onto her face as she pulled back, her hand gently grasping the blonde's left wrist. She lightly ran her fingers over the scar that had formed after Lucy had injured herself to avoid marrying the King, "After you did this, you told me that you didn't regret it because you protected what you believed in. I also want to protect what I hold dear. This is the only way I can do it."

Aquarius pulled the blonde back into her chest as the girl's sobbing continued, ' _Lucy, you must be careful of everything. You can't trust anyone. Every moment of every day, and with every step you take…you need to be careful, as if you are walking on thin ice. You should not live as I did…Alright? Leave the palace…and find happiness.'_

* * *

Lucy limped numbly to the middle of the palace's courtyard, whimpering when pain coursed through her injured leg as she lowered herself to kneel on the ground.

Natsu had gotten her a new white hanbok, one that wasn't stained with her own blood. He'd also taken her to the doctor, who'd refused to treat her until the salmon haired prince had threatened him with his sword. The man had done what he could for her knee, and while he told her that it would heal, she would most likely be stuck with a slight limp for the rest of her life.

That information was the least of the blonde's worries.

Aquarius was going to be executed the day after tomorrow, and Lucy refused to let the woman, who had become like a mother to her, die in her place.

So the blonde had snuck out of Natsu's room when he left to retrieve some food for her, heading to the courtyard to protest the King's orders.

Her knee pulsed in agony as she kneeled on the ground, but she pushed through it. If she wanted to save Aquarius, she would have to endure it. She was most likely going to be out here for hours, and the King may not even listen to her protests.

But still, she strengthened her resolve, her voice was hoarse as she began to plead, "Your Majesty…Please spare Court Lady Aquarius. She's innocent. Your Majesty, please reconsider..."

* * *

Lucy continued her kneeling protest long into the night, and the servants of the palace didn't take their eyes off of her as they went to light the pyres that ran along the edges of the courtyard.

Her voice had grown much weaker, and she leaned heavily on her hands. But she still persisted, fighting off unconsciousness and continuing to utter her protests.

"Your Majesty…let Court Lady Aquarius live…please…"

Jellal swallowed heavily as he carefully approached her. He hadn't seen the blonde since the day of the feast, when this entire mess started. It pained him to see the gashes and bruises that littered her face, and Natsu had told him about what had been done to her knee.

He'd sworn to Yukino that he would watch over her, but he'd failed.

"Lucy…"

She managed to give him a tired smile, "…Your Highness."

He crouched down next to her, his voice gentle as he began, "Do you really think that the King will change his mind just because you're doing this? You're already unwell. So let's go before you get worse."

The blonde shook her head slowly, "Court Lady Aquarius…she took the blame to save my life."

"Everyone knows that. But there's nothing more terrifying than angering a king. That's why no one can help you if you choose to continue this protest…You need to give up, Lucy. You may not survive if you don't stop. Please, don't let Aquarius' sacrifice be in vain."

She swallowed heavily as she shook her head again, "I can't turn my back on Court Lady Aquarius like that."

Jellal sighed irritably, "Why are you so stubborn? Court Lady Aquarius barely managed to save you. Are you going to throw that away?"

"I can't just do nothing…this…doing this is better."

"There's nothing I can do to help you if you insist on being stubborn." He locked eyes with her, "Then, Lucy…you must endure this. Do whatever you can to survive. You have too many people waiting on you to return safe and sound." He sighed heavily as he took in her determined features, "I'll prepare medicine for you. That's all that I can do for now."

* * *

Gildarts nervously cleared his throat as he took his place next to the King on the balcony above the gallows, "Your Majesty…please cancel the execution while you can. If you send Court Lady Aquarius away like this, you'll only be left with regret. Protecting the country and saving the Crown Prince are important. But if you get rid of those who you have been close with for years…how will you live with loneliness?"

Igneel lips formed a grim line, his eyes focused on the noose that gently swayed in the wind, "That's the work of a king. You must throw people aside if you want to protect your nation."

"Your Majesty," the astronomer continued to press, "Court Lady Lucy has been performing a kneeling protest in front of the palace for two days."

"Let her leave of her own accord. Don't go out to her. If anyone takes her side, I won't them get away without punishment."

* * *

Gajeel caught Loke's elbow as the orange haired prince attempted to run to Lucy with a paper umbrella. It had just started raining moments ago, but it was already a full on down pour. The blonde was soaked and beginning to shiver, but she still didn't abandon her protest.

Loke roughly shook his arm out of Gajeel's grasp, glaring at his older brother.

The Ninth Prince only scoffed, "The King has already ordered that anyone who goes to her aid will be punished severely. So if you insist on dying, then go right ahead."

Loke threw the umbrella to the ground before stepping out from beneath the awning he'd been standing under with Gajeel, Zeref, and Jellal. His hanbok was soaked almost immediately, but his eyes remained trained on the blonde that rested a short distance as he kneeled to the ground. If he couldn't help Lucy as she continued her protest, then he'd start a protest of his own.

Jellal seemed to catch on immediately, not hesitating to kneel beside his brother.

Zeref silently came to stand behind them, uncaring of the rain that poured down upon him.

Gajeel scoffed as he turned to leave the courtyard. His brothers were fools for thinking that they could change things this way. In this world, the only way to could get what you wanted was to push others aside, even stabbing them in the back if you had to.

* * *

Lucy's lips formed the smallest of smiles as she saw Sting slowly approaching her from the side of the courtyard. He'd been the first of the princes to show her kindness after she had arrived in Ishgar, and he'd been dedicated to helping her ever since then. If anyone were to help her now, it would be him.

Her smile faltered though when he paused a few feet away from her, his expression blank. He stood staring at her for a few moments before he took a few small steps back, swallowing heavily as he turned his back on her.

Lucy leaned heavily on her hands, her brows furrowing as she watched him walk away. Sting had always been there for her, so why would he turn his back on her when she needed his help the most?

The blonde looked up in confusion when she realized she could no longer feel the falling the rain, a small smile forming on her lips again when she saw who had come to stand next to her. She hadn't seen more than a few glimpses of the man over the past two days, but she had always felt his presence watching over her from afar.

It was Natsu. Water dripped from his bangs, and his scar was beginning to show as the rain washed away the tan paste that covered it. But his determined gaze was fixed straight ahead as his right arm held the side of his cloak over her form, shielding her from the violent downpour.

* * *

Aquarius clenched her jaw when she caught sight of Grandeeny as the group of four guards led her through the rain. The Queen was looking as lavish as ever, her elegant hanbok protected from the downpour by a large umbrella one of her servants held over her. A satisfied smirk formed on her features as she took in the ropes that wound around the court lady's hands and torso.

The guards that had been escorting Aquarius bowed to the Queen as she came to a stop in front of them, pushing the blue haired woman to her knees when they were commanded to.

Grandeeny fixed her gaze on the court lady in front of her, her smirk never fading, "I had hoped that I would live long enough to see you die. It seems that I will be getting my wish. I've won, Aquarius. Dying first is losing."

Aquarius' eyes unwaveringly held the Queen's gaze, "You know very well, Your Majesty. You've never beaten me. Not once."

Grandeeny scoffed, "Will you still have that same arrogance when you're hanging by your throat?"

The blue haired court lady still held strong, her voice growing slightly spiteful as she continued, "Please live a long and healthy life, Your Majesty. How lonely that life will be…I'll be watching from my place in the afterlife."

"You do that. I'm a queen. You're a nameless court lady who no one will remember once you die." Grandeeny brushed past Aquarius before the woman could respond, her group of servants following silently behind her.

Aquarius let the guards pull her to her feet and drag her the rest of the way to the gallows.

* * *

' _It's enough for me if even just one person remembers me after I'm gone.'_

Aquarius slowly slid her eyes shut as the noose was placed around her neck.

The guard pulled the lever, and the plank disappeared from beneath her feet.

* * *

The sound of a gong being struck suddenly rung through the air. At the sound, Jellal and Zeref sorrowfully lowered their heads, Sting paused in his steps, and Loke's hands angrily clenched into the material of his hanbok.

Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what the sound meant.

The execution was over with. Aquarius was dead.

Lucy fell forward onto her hands, sobs beginning to wrack her frame, "Aquarius…"

Natsu crouched down next to her, his hands clutching onto her shoulders as she desperately tried to crawl forward, "Lucy!"

She fought against him, screaming Aquarius' name as she tried to tear herself out of his strong grip, "Let me go!"

He wrapped his arms around her completely, pulling her struggling form back into his chest as she continued to sob hysterically. She clenched her hands into the soaking material of his hanbok, burying her face into the crook of his neck.

' _If I had known that someone would die because of me…I wouldn't have been so greedy to live again. I wish that this was all a dream. I want to be able to wake up, and not remember any of this.'_

* * *

 **AN**

 **Goodbye Aquarius... :(**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	38. Chapter 38: Wait For Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu stared blankly up at his father as he kneeled before the throne. He'd known that helping Lucy as she protested wouldn't go without consequence, and Igneel was incredibly unpredictable when it came to giving his own children punishment. There was no way to know what his father was going to do with him.

The King sighed heavily before speaking, "You'll go to Seven's former capital as an ambassador. There's been talk of an uprising in the area. Find out how strong their forces are."

Gildarts, who stood beside the throne, seemed surprised by the order, "But…Your Majesty, the people of later Seven despise the rulers of Ishgar for taking control over their country. Prince Natsu is part of the royal family. Sending him there could be incredibly danger-"

"I'll do as you command," the salmon haired man interrupted. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, not even looking at his father as he spoke.

"Really? You're not even going to attempt to protest?"

"If it is your command, Your Majesty, how could I refuse?"

Igneel quirked a brow at his son's reply. His son had shown no regard for his commands when it came to helping Lucy, so why was he so loyal now?

"I'll leave Magnolia like you have asked." Natsu finally raised his gaze to meet his father's, his features hardened in determination, "However, Lucy has nowhere to go but the palace. Please have mercy on her, and be understanding."

The King sighed heavily. Of course it was because of that girl. Nothing seemed to matter more to Natsu as of late.

He fixed his son with a slight glare, "Are you still taking her side?"

"She isn't someone I can just throw away," the prince ground out. "I'll work hard as an ambassador, Your Majesty. As a form of repayment for my efforts, I ask you see to it that Lucy is taken care of in my absence."

Having said all that he wanted to, Natsu leaned forward in a bow before standing and exiting the throne room.

Igneel's gaze was pointedly fixed on his son's back as he left, his lips pressing into a thin line.

He waited until the doors to the throne room were closed once again before turning Gildarts, "Get rid of Lucy."

The astronomer was taken aback by the statement, "Pardon?"

"Send her away to a place where the princes will be unable to find her. If Natsu can't throw her away himself, than his father will do it for him."

* * *

Gildarts swallowed heavily as he entered Aquarius' room, the old wooden frame of the paper door creaking loudly as he slid it shut behind him.

He'd known and worked alongside the court lady for years. They were never particularly close, but they shared the same goals in their duties to the King. And now that she had been executed, Gildarts couldn't help but wonder if Igneel would eventually throw him aside to protect the nation as well.

The astronomer sighed solemnly as he caught sight of the blonde who was curled up on the bed.

Lucy had been laying in Aquarius' room since Natsu had carried her in after the execution. She hadn't eaten anything that the princes had tried to bring to her, and Gildarts could see that her current state worried them greatly, Natsu in particular.

The blonde's eyes stared blankly at the white paper wall of the room, and they lacked the brightness that Gildarts was used to finding in them.

He walked slowly towards the desk of the room, carefully taking a teacup from its surface, "She had the dignity of a queen despite not being born under the star of one."

"Is that good luck or bad luck?" Lucy asked weakly, still blankly staring at the wall.

Gildarts turned to face her, his lips pressed into a line.

The blonde let out a small, bitter laugh, "I asked the obvious, didn't I? She died for me…it's the worst kind of luck there is."

"She was able to leave without feeling bitterness over her situation. I would say that she was very lucky. You should believe that, too."

They sat in silence for a moment before Gildarts began speaking again, although he was somewhat hesitant to tell her the King's orders, "Lucy…You must leave the palace. You've been commanded not to say goodbye to the princes or meet with any of them ever again."

Gildart's watched her expression closely to gauge her reaction, though he wasn't surprised when she didn't even flinch. Lucy was intelligent, and he knew she had probably figured all of this out long before he had come to tell her.

This wasn't the first time she'd disobeyed the King's orders after all, and she'd gotten off easy the first time. But now there was no escaping the consequences.

The blonde finally looked to him, nothing but acceptance on her features, "Where must I go?"

* * *

Natsu smiled softly at Lucy as she slowly approached him, her hands clenched tightly in the skirt of her hanbok. It pained him to see her limp, but after what had been done to her knee, she was incredibly lucky to still be able to walk in the first place.

She managed to smile softly at him in return, though it seemed slightly forced and she flinched as the action pulled at her split lip.

They began walking together, making their way down the path that ran next to the small lake on the edge of the palace's land. The prince kept his steps small and slow so that he could walk next to the blonde. Not only was she much shorter than him, making her strides much smaller than his, but now she was limping as well.

"How are you feeling?" Natsu hesitantly asked after they had walked in silence for quite some time. "Are you handling things alright?"

Lucy took more than a moment to respond, her eyes trained on the dirt below them, "I'm sure that I'll forget it all someday."

"Try to forget about it as soon as you can. The more difficult things are, the harder they are to forget."

Natsu continued on for a few steps before he realized that Lucy was no longer by his side. He turned to find her standing motionless a couple feet behind him, her hands clenched in the skirt of hanbok and her eyes downcast.

Whatever she was about to say, she didn't seem happy about it.

"You too, Your Highness. You should forget about me."

They stood in silence for a few moments, the only noise being the rustling as leaves as a soft breeze blew past.

A small, but reassuring grin appeared on Natsu's features as he stepped closer to the blonde, "Don't say such things. Stay put and wait for me at the palace until I'm able to return."

Lucy swallowed heavily as she reached into the waistband of her simple hanbok. She pulled out the hairpin Natsu had given her the day he took her to Hargeon and held it out to the prince. Her eyes remained trained on it, her voice solemn as she softly breathed out, "I cannot wait for you, Your Highness."

Natsu's grin faded.

"You're being sent away because you tried help me. I…I remember how happy you were because you finally got to live in the palace. I know that you don't want to leave, but you have to. And it's all my fault." She paused to sniffle, doing her best to give the prince a small smile, "So please, Your Highness, learn to differentiate between friendship and love. If you insist on giving all of your affection to one person, it'll only make things harder for you."

"It isn't your fault, Lucy," Natsu started steadily, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. " _I'm_ the reason that you ran into bad luck. It happens to everyone who gets involved with me."

The blonde was slightly surprised by how easily he said those words. To him, they were fact, and there was no arguing against them. That was the type of life he lived, one he had been conditioned to believe that he brought misfortune to anyone who got too close.

She was brought back to herself as his arm suddenly wound around her waist and she was pulled into his chest.

Natsu smiled softly down at her, "I still won't let you go. Besides, I'm sure they'll be sending me back to the palace soon. The former people of Seven won't be able to do much more than yell and curse at me, so there won't be much for me to do."

The blonde quickly turned her head to side when she saw his eyes quickly dart down to her lips, and he chuckled softly at her, "Dummy. I said that I would get your permission before I kissed you again."

His arm fell from around Lucy's waist, and she took a few small steps back.

Gildarts had told her not to meet with any of the princes, but she couldn't just disappear without seeing Natsu one last time. She had planned to thank him for what he had done and then end whatever kind of relationship she had with him. But the prince was stubborn, making her task quite hard to accomplish.

And besides, she didn't know if she truly wanted their relationship to end. She'd told him to learn the difference between friendship and love, but she was having quite a hard time distinguishing between the two herself when it came to Natsu.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when the prince quickly leaned down to press his lips against hers.

Lucy stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled back. He'd just brought up his promise to ask for permission, so what the hell was he playing at? It had been more of a peck than a real kiss, but it still counted as one by her own terms.

Natsu seemed to read her thoughts and gave her a bright smile, "I lied." He reached down to pluck the hairpin from her limp grasp, "I'll borrow this for good luck while I'm away. But I'm giving it back to you as soon as I return. You promised that you'd at least let me see you wearing it once, right? You haven't followed through yet. I'll be back soon, so wait for me."

They walked on together in silence after that, Natsu fondly turning his gaze to the lake that he wouldn't be able to see while he was away.

Lucy lost herself in her thoughts, her hands still clenching into the purple material of her hanbok, ' _I won't be waiting, Your Highness. Though you risked your life for me…Though you called me your person…I can't do it. The King is sending me away to a place where we will likely never meet again…and I know that we should forget one another so that neither of us gets hurt…But I can't bring myself to ignore you or let you go…no matter what I try.'_

* * *

Natsu clenched his jaw as he tied a knot at the back of his head, securing his black mask in place over his left eye.

The time for him to leave had come.

He'd ridden into Magnolia wearing his mask, it was only fitting that he leave Magnolia with it on as well.

* * *

Lucy bowed to Gildarts in thanks as he handed her a basket of goods and a purple cloak to take along with her on her journey.

The astronomer was the only one who had come to bid her farewell as she left the palace for what was most likely the final time. Lucy supposed that the only other people who cared enough to say goodbye were Jellal, Loke, and Sting, but they probably hadn't even been notified that she was being sent away.

She wanted to see them one last time before she left, but her orders from the King were very clear.

So she bowed to Gildarts once more before starting on her way.

"Sting! Sting!"

The blond prince let out a heavy sigh as Loke came barreling through the doors to his study. He wanted to be left alone to wallow in his guilt at what he had done to Lucy, or rather what he _hadn't_ done for her. He didn't need his younger brother here to bother him, but he knew that Loke was persistent and wouldn't be sent away so easily.

The orange haired prince skidded to a halt in front of his brother's desk, breathing heavily, "Sting…Lucy's gone. I can't find her anywhere in the palace! You don't think that she's been kicked out, do you?"

* * *

Sting anxiously tore the doors of Lucy's room open, his eyes quickly scanning over the contents of the room. He hadn't answered Loke's inquiry, instead shoving his younger brother out of the way in his rush to get to the palace. He had to see for himself whether or not she was truly gone.

He couldn't deal with the fact that he may never see her again if she really had been kicked out. He couldn't let her go. He still needed to apologize.

The state of her room confirmed his fears. Every touch of Lucy was gone. The drawers and cabinets were empty. The blankets were freshly washed and folded nicely in the corner. The stacks of books and papers that could normally be found on her desk were gone.

He sunk to his knees in the middle of the room, Aquarius' last words to him echoing in his mind.

' _The one time that you turned your back on Lucy will haunt you for the rest of your life, Your Highness.'_

* * *

"Aquarius was a pesky creature, and she has lost her life," Grandeeny smirked in satisfaction as she relayed the information. Her gaze turned to the princess who sat across from her, "Was it your doing?"

Minerva only quirked a brow, "I'm sure that you wanted to get rid of her too, Your Majesty. I wasn't directly the cause, but I suppose if you wanted to, you could trace the blame back to me."

The Queen's smirk only grew, "When I see you like this, you seem like a daughter I bore myself. You and I…we'll get along very well."

The princess' lips quirked at the corners, "I don't think that will be happening, Your Majesty. You see, you're the one who poisoned who the Crown Prince's tea. The King is undoubtedly aware that Aquarius lied about being the culprit, so he may still be suspicious of you. You could be caught at any moment, so I can't get close to you."

The Queen let out an incredulous laugh, "Are you forgetting that you helped me in the act? We're in the same boat, dear. If one of us gets caught, the other will be dragged down as well."

Minerva raised a brow again, "And you seem to be forgetting that I drank the poisoned tea myself. Who would believe you if you told them I drank poisoned tea of my own free will? Everyone else who knows the truth or abetted in the act is gone. Seilah ran away. Kyouka was killed. Natsu has been sent away as an ambassador. Lucy has been exiled. Aquarius has been executed. They're all gone. You're alone in efforts now, Your Majesty. So protect yourself well."

The princess stood, mockingly bowing to the Queen before exiting the room with her head held high.

Grandeeny clenched her hand around her tea as the servants closed the door after the princess.

"Minerva sure has changed in the short time that I was away."

The Queen smiled at the voice that sounded out from behind her. She wasn't alone in her efforts at all.

Laxus had a smirk on his face as he stepped into her line of sight. He'd returned to palace just this morning, and had hid himself amongst the many drapes of her room when Minerva had come knocking.

"Do you see why I cannot help but be intrigued by her?"

Grandeeny's lips pressed into a thin line, "She's dangerous. She has more ambition than any man. Keep your distance."

Laxus ran the tips of his fingers along the gold that had been embedded into the wall of his mother's room, "That's what makes her interesting though."

The Queen sighed heavily to herself, deciding to shift the topic to something she found more important, "Did you meet with Jiemma like I asked?"

"He has agreed to support me whenever I need it. You'll be the mother of a king soon."

She tilted her head slightly in thought, "He wouldn't agree to help without demanding something in return. What does he want?"

Laxus glanced over his shoulder at her as he responded, "To let Magnolia become a wasteland, and make Crocus the capital."

* * *

Lucy turned over her shoulder to look at the palace in the distance one last time before it disappeared from her sight.

It was the place where she had met and lost Aquarius, the woman who had become like a mother to her.

It was the place where she had grown closer to the princes, and she'd stood in between its walls as she watched their loving and joyful relationships begin to crumble into hate and betrayal.

And lastly…it was the place where she'd fallen in love with Natsu. They had been in her own room of the palace when she removed his mask and touched his face for the first time, helping him to cover his scar. They'd been in its gardens when he had kissed her for the first time. They'd been in one of its many hallways when he she'd held him as he vomited blood after he'd consumed poisoned tea in an attempt to save her life. They'd been in its prison when he had come to find her in the middle of the night, pledging that he would do anything he could to set her free.

And now, she may never see it again.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!**


	39. Chapter 39: Nothing More

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Year 943: One year after Lucy left the palace. King Igneel's twenty-sixth year of rule._

Loke and Sting bowed to Laxus as he approached them, a group of men from the nation's most powerful families following in his stead.

The Eighth Prince raised a brow at Laxus' company, "Families from the royal cities? Any particular reason that they've come to the palace?"

Laxus smirked, "The King is going to be giving ten instructions to the people before he dies. They're curious. Many think that he will choose me to be his successor instead of the Crown Prince."

Loke scoffed quietly to himself, "I don't think that'll happen."

The Third Prince fixed his younger brother with a glare, "What about you? I've heard that you've been off chasing pirates. Why haven't you visited mother?"

"I'm living just fine, so don't concern yourself with me." The orange haired prince matched his brother's glare with one of his own, his tone becoming more spiteful, "Besides, mother has you, doesn't she? That's always been enough to make her happy in the past."

"Listen to the way you're talking…You've changed since you started hanging around Sting," Laxus looked between his brothers with an almost intrigued look in his eyes before he brushed past them, his group of men following behind.

Loke clenched his jaw as he watched his brother go, "He'll end up hurting himself if he keeps being so greedy."

Sting quirked a brow, his lips pressing into a thin line, "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what becomes of him."

* * *

 _She kept her eyes zeroed in on the old man as she spun in circles along with her fellow dancers, their small blades slicing through the air. He sat in the middle of the table that ran along the front of the stage, watching the performance with tired eyes._

 _She'd been preparing for this moment for more than a year, and she'd been dreaming of it for even longer. This was her chance to finally take revenge for her people and for her family. She would kill the man that had taken their country, their heritage, and their lives from them._

 _She broke from formation, spinning her blade in her right hand and lunging towards the man before any of his guards could get in her way. She leapt on top of the table in front of him, her cold gaze unwavering as she stabbed her blade into King Igneel's chest._

"You got it wrong again!"

Erza was drawn out of her fantasy when Jellal reprimanded her, her arms slowly falling back to her sides as she came back to reality. The blue haired man had been coming to the gyobang for months to help her prepare for the peace gathering performance, and Erza sometimes let herself get carried away in her ambitions while they were practicing.

"Why do you keep stabbing the blade out like at the end? You're supposed to curl it in," Jellal paused to sigh as he carefully set his saenghwang down on the table, "You always mess up at the same place. You're going to make a fool of yourself at the peace gathering if you don't fix things."

The scarlet haired woman huffed out a breath, her hands clenching around her swords and her features showing her determination, "Let's try it again."

"No."

"Why?"

"There's a limit to how much you can overwork a person." The blue haired man stood and leaned into her face, his finger pointing to his mouth, "Look. Do you see how swollen my lips are from helping you? I can't play my instrument for forever you know."

Jellal lightly chuckled at the faint blush that appeared on the woman's cheeks as he leaned in close, her eyes briefly focusing on his lips before nervously dropping to the floor.

He moved back to the table, grabbing his bag from the ground and beginning to pack his things, "My Lady has prepared me food and she is waiting. I have to go."

Erza's eyes widened a fraction and she looked to him in surprise, "Y-you're married?"

He raised a brow when he caught sight of her expression, a small smirk beginning to appear on his face, "Why? Would it bother you if I was married?"

The scarlet haired woman cleared her throat and averted her gaze again, "Have…have you been married for a long time? And…do you have kids?"

Jellal hummed in thought, "Let's see…There's a wife and a great son in my household, and it's been that way for years." He failed to restrain a small laugh at the disappointed pout that began forming of the woman features. He turned to face her fully, a smug smile on his face, "The wife is my father's wife. And the great son is me. My mother is waiting, so I must get going."

"Were…were you playing a joke on me? Have you no fear?!" Erza raised one of swords and began chasing the blue haired man around the small porch they'd been practicing on.

Jellal brought his instrument up to shield himself as he was chased, "Hey, you were the one that fell for it!"

* * *

Sting paused in his steps as he caught sight of what waited for him in his study. Minerva and Laxus were sitting across from one another at the table, seemingly enjoying a pot of tea. But the way that his sister quickly withdrew her hand from the table to hide it in the folds of her skirt when he entered told him that there was much more to the situation.

His eyes narrowed as he looked to Laxus, "You're visiting more often. People will notice. If we're not careful, rumors will spread."

The Third Prince poured himself more tea, "Don't worry. I'm only coming to visit my half-sister, nothing more." He set the tea pot down heavily, a smirk forming on his face as he looked between the two, "We have more of a reason to act now than we ever have before. The King will leave his people with ten instructions before he dies. How about we attack now instead of waiting on it? Father is getting old, he'll die soon. It would be troublesome if the Crown Prince ends up on the throne for even one moment."

"I won't take part in something so immoral," Sting clenched his jaw. "How can a child kill his own father?"

"Igneel is a father who would kill his own child to protect the throne," Laxus ground out. "He sent me away to fight against multitudes of thieves with only a small group of men to aid me. He sent Natsu into the midst of a potential uprising. He has no morals, so why should we have them when it comes to him?"

He turned his gaze to his younger brother, fixing him with a glare, "Don't forget your promise to support me instead of the Crown Prince. You've already pledged yourself to this cause, and you'll follow whatever order I give, no matter what the cost."

Laxus stood and left after he had finished speaking, the two siblings watched him go with their jaws clenched.

"Why don't you take the throne for yourself? Why are you satisfied with being in Laxus' shadow?" the princess ground out.

"You know nothing of my plans, Minerva," Sting breathed out heavily as he lowered himself into the chair that Laxus had previously occupied, his eyes still focused on the doors his older brother had disappeared through. "If you kill the Crown Prince, even before he's on the throne, the people will label you as a traitor. However, the person who kills that traitor…he will become a hero."

Minerva's lips quirked slightly at the corners as she realized what he was planning to do.

"It is far better to be in Laxus' shadow for now. When the time is right, I'll make my move."

* * *

"I like Prince Sting the best. I've heard that he's very handsome."

"Well, what about Prince Loke? He's been slaying pirates and saving the people on the coast. He must be so strong! The King even made him a general, so he must favor him greatly."

"Hey, Lucy! You were at the Damiwon Palace before you came here, right? So you must have seen the princes. Which one is the best?"

The blonde momentarily paused in her task of doing laundry as the two chatting water maids suddenly addressed her. She sat on the river bank next to them as they worked, and she had overheard every word that they'd said. Their talk of the princes brought back memories of them that she'd unsuccessfully been trying to forget. If things went as Igneel had intended, she would never see any of them again. So she had tried to move on, but doing so proved much harder than she would have liked.

Still, she didn't want to talk about the princes, or anything that related to the palace, so she ignored the two and continued to beat at the wet laundry that rested on the rock beneath her.

"Hey, can't you hear me?"

Lucy kept at her task, her voice void of any emotion, "It's best not to talk about the princes. It's easy to say the wrong thing and get in trouble."

The two burst out in incredulous laughter.

"So, you're saying that water maids like us shouldn't even mention them?" One of them threw a sopping wet shirt at the blonde, "You got kicked out of the palace, so don't act like you're all knowledgeable. Only a stupid person would let themselves get thrown out like you did."

Lucy tossed the shirt back in her direction without much thought before continuing to beat at the wet laundry, "I'm just telling you that you should be careful of what you say."

The other water maid, who hadn't said much, scoffed, "Oh my, now she won't even let us _talk_ about the princes. I told her to draw Prince Natsu's face the other day and she just ripped up the paper."

"Did you hear about _why_ she got kicked out? Her superior died because of her. She's an unlucky wench, nothing more. Everyone says that getting mixed up with her leads to bad things."

Lucy's eyes began to fill with tears as they spoke, though it was not because of their harsh words. She could deal with their insults, and even hearing them talk about the princes…but hearing them speak of Aquarius wasn't something she could have prepared herself for.

* * *

Lucy breathed heavily in an attempt to keep her emotions under control as she settled onto a flat rock. She'd come to the river to eat her dinner, just like she did every day since she'd first arrived. The cold night air made her knee ache, but it was the only place on the gyobang's property where she could go to be alone, so she'd made it a part of her daily routine.

She set her lantern on a nearby rock, using both of her hands to carefully remove the cloth from around her rice ball. It was the only food she'd eaten since she left the palace, being a gyobang water maid didn't provide the luxury of having variety in one's diet. She got two every day, one in the morning and one after she had completed her chores.

She'd finished the day's tasks quite a bit later than usual because of the events that had taken place earlier. After labeling her as a bringer of misfortune, the two water maids had thought that it would be humorous to dump her entire basket of dried laundry back into the river, making her start her work over from the beginning.

But their harsh treatment wasn't the cause of the tears that now streamed down Lucy's cheeks. It was times like these, where she was alone and had no work to distract herself with, that her mind began to drift and memories of the way things used to be were resurfaced.

She was once great friends with the princes of Ishgar, and now, she was nothing more than the water maid that did their laundry.

* * *

Natsu couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he urged his horse to go faster towards Magnolia. It'd been a year since he had left, and he was more eager to get back than he had ever been before. He had people waiting there for him this time, and there was one person in particular who he couldn't wait to see again.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40: Better For Both of Us

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Although he'd been eager to return to the palace, Natsu felt only anxiousness as he stood in its throne room. Standing before the throne had never been a pleasant experience, and the prince found that the atmosphere hadn't a changed a bit since he'd last been within between the room's walls. But his desire to leave was greater now than it'd ever been before. He'd been away from the palace for a year. There were people that he needed to see and someone that he needed to find.

However, he'd been commanded to go straight to the King to report on his year away, and he knew well what consequences would come from disobeying orders.

Grand General Makarov had been the one to meet him at the palace's gate and tell him of the King's command. The old man had even accompanied him to the throne room, and he now stood beside the salmon haired prince as the King addressed him.

"What's the situation like in later Seven's former capital?" Igneel breathed out, his voice fighting to maintain the power that it had held so easily for all of his rule. The King had always seemed wise beyond his years, and now it appeared that those years were finally catching up to him. His red hair had dulled and it was streaked with gray. He fought to keep his kingly posture, but his shoulders continued to hunch forward the longer he sat in his throne.

Just like the last time he'd seen him, Natsu didn't even look at Igneel as he explained, "Their former King has died, and his nephew is leading them now. They've abandoned the idea of staging an uprising against you, Your Majesty. They've chosen to focus on the lesser of two enemies, and it seems like they'll be going to war with Iceberg over a territorial dispute. But there's much conflict amongst them. I don't think that they'll succeed."

"That means that Iceberg will start to dominate," Igneel paused in thought, "I'm going to send you there next Natsu. If they gain more confidence, they might decide to attack Ishgar."

"I don't want to go."

The King quirked a brow, "You don't want to? What happened to your loyalty?"

Natsu finally met his father's eyes, his gaze cold, "You broke the promise you made to me when I left. I can't follow orders from someone who betrays people's trust."

"You still have feelings for that girl? A king must be able to throw people aside for the sake of his family and his nation."

"I'm not a king, nor will I ever become one. I don't need to throw people aside." The salmon haired prince's tone filled with spite, "You're losing allies, Your Majesty. You've thrown countless people aside to protect the throne, and because of that, my loyalty to you has been shaken. However, I'm still loyal to the Crown Prince, the person who you are so desperately trying to protect. So if you want to give the Crown Prince as many allies as you possibly can, don't tie a noose around my neck. I'll no longer be a dog who obeys your every command."

Natsu turned on his heel, his head held high as he exited the throne room.

Igneel breathed heavily as his hands clenched on the edges of the table in front of him, seemingly seething in anger at what Natsu had said to him.

Makarov did his best to appease the King, knowing what could happen when Igneel was angered, "You shouldn't dwell on it too much, Your Majesty. It's only natural for children to show opposition and lash out at their parents every now and then."

Contrary to what Makarov had expected, Igneel began softly chuckling, "I wish that he would have come at me like that from the very beginning. Then maybe I wouldn't have made so many mistakes."

"Pardon?"

"Everything that I did, I did to make Natsu stronger. He lacked the confidence to stand up to me before. But now, he won't allow himself to lose, no matter who his opponent is." Igneel let out a breath as he leaned heavily on the table in front of him, "I've made many mistakes during my rule, many of which will continue to haunt me in the afterlife. I can't leave peacefully unless I've insured that my successor will better a King than I was. Zeref…he's wise, and compassionate beyond measure. But his heart will only carry him so far when it comes to ruling the nation. He needs someone strong to stand by his side, someone who has no fear. That's why I'm glad Natsu has turned into the man that he is today. I need him to be like that in order to pass on in peace."

"Your Majesty," Gildarts started from his place beside the throne. "Your star's still bright. Why would you say such a thing?"

"There are times when you know yourself better than the heavens know you. You should prepare yourselves for my passing. All hell will break loose once I'm gone."

* * *

Natsu hastily sped up the stairs that led into Gildarts' study, his feet skipping steps in his rush. The room contained all of the maps that he would need to find Lucy's location, including those that related to the demographics of Ishgar. Igneel wouldn't send her to a place where she would live in luxury, her disobedience was too severe. So Natsu would search the cities that were highly populated by slaves before he searched anywhere else.

Makarov had been the one to tell him of what had been done Lucy. Natsu had been in a rage, throwing things about and shouting at the Grand General till he was blue in the face. He'd nearly resolved to barge into the throne room and beat his father senseless to drag the girl's location out of him, but, with surprising strength, the small, old man had held him back.

The Grand General did his best to calm him, stating that nothing good ever came out of anger and hate. He admitted that Igneel had made many mistakes, and he did his best to explain how the man's regret had been eating away at him. The King seemed to have aged ten years in the span of just one, and it was all due to the weight that had been constantly piling itself upon his shoulders because of his decisions.

Makarov stated that he'd been quite disappointed himself to learn that Lucy was no longer in the palace. She'd always been a delight when she served him, and he'd grown quite fond of her. Over the past year, the old man had been keeping an eye out for her as he traveled around the nation to fulfill his duties as Grand General, a favor for his grandson-in-law of one year, Gray. He promised Natsu that if he were to meet with his father peacefully, he would help him on his search for the blonde and tell him of the cities that he had already checked.

The salmon haired prince agreed, though he had a few conditions of his own. Igneel could feel all of the regret that he deserved, but it wouldn't change what had been done. Their meeting would not be peaceful. He would make sure that his father knew exactly how he felt about what had happened, and he would warn him of the consequences if he were to continue in such a manner.

With that goal completed, he was desperately ready to move on to the next. He had to find Lucy and drag her out of whatever hellhole she had been thrown into.

He made his way over to Gildarts' desk, intending to shuffle through the many maps piled on top of it. He stopped short when he saw the paper that rested on top of the stack. His name rested in its corner. The paper looked a lot less worn than the others, and its map must have been drawn by someone who knew the nation well considering its precision. But he didn't dwell on who had authored it for long, finding its contents of much more interest.

There was a large, freshly inked circle over part of a river that rested on the edge of Magnolia. It was the same river that fed into the lake which the salmon haired prince often visited during his time at the palace.

Next to the circle, there were a few words written, ' _A gyobang on the riverbank. You'll find her here.'_

Igneel had told his sons that he was sending Lucy far away. It was clever of him to hide her right under their noses.

* * *

Lucy fought to restrain a small whimper when her weight shifted onto her bad leg as she tossed one end of a long sheet over a horizontal, wooden pole. She spread the width of white sheet to prevent wrinkles from forming before using her hand to beat away the dust that clung to the damp fabric.

The blonde looked over her shoulder when she thought she felt eyes on her. Between the sheets that fluttered in the wind, she caught a glimpse of a face that she'd only seen in her dreams over the past year. But as the sheets settled once more, the face was gone, leaving only empty space behind.

She rubbed at her eyes before she went back to her work, attempting to distract herself from the pain that her imagination had caused. She must truly be going crazy now. There was no way that he was here. He was across the nation, and even if he came back, the King would surely stop him from finding her.

"You never did listen."

Lucy froze as arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"I told you to stay put at the palace."

Tears began filling her eyes at the sound of the voice. It hadn't been her imagination. It was him. He was really here.

Natsu leaned down to lightly rest his chin on her shoulder, "I missed you."

"I…" her tears finally began to fall, "You shouldn't be here. If…if the King finds out-"

She cut herself off as Natsu softly grasped her left wrist, using his grip to gently spin her to face him. He ran the tips of his fingers over her reddened knuckles, his jaw clenching when he felt the callouses that had formed over her year of physical labor.

His eyes quickly scanned over the rest of her form as well, noting that she was beginning to look unhealthily thin and that her skin lacked its usual rosy complexion. She was almost as pale as the day that he had found her in cell after she had been tortured.

Natsu swallowed down his anger and gave her a soft smile, "Just as always…you're beautiful, Lucy."

The blonde had done her own glance over of him as well, and her brows furrowed as she stared at the mask that rested on his face, "Why have you covered it again? Have you forgotten how to mix the makeup like I showed you? Has your scar grown more prominent? You hated it so much, so why would you let it-"

Her voice faded as Natsu removed the mask and revealed seemingly smooth skin.

"I wore my mask while I was away so that when I put it on every day, I would be reminded of you. I was determined to come back and see you."

She dropped her gaze to the floor, her hands clenching in the skirt of her hanbok, "Your Highness…I'm not a Damiwon court lady anymore. I'm a gyobang water maid. I'm barely worth more than a slave. There was little chance of us being allowed to be together before…but at the level I'm at now…I'm not even supposed to _meet_ with you."

Natsu reached down to take one of her hands in his grasp again, "This isn't where you should be, Lucy. So let's go. I'll resolve this somehow, and bring you back to the palace with me."

The blonde anxiously shook her head, more tears beginning to silently stream down her cheeks, "I'm only here because I can neither die nor live. Whether it's Court Lady Aquarius, who died because of me, or the scary life in the palace waiting around every corner…I can forget all of it if I force my body to grow weary because of my work. I…I can't go back to the palace, Your Highness. I can't do it…"

"I'll watch over you, Lucy." Natsu tightly grasped her shoulders, leaning down so he could look directly into her eyes, "I won't let anything bad happen to you ever again. I promise. I'll help you forget it all without having to live the life that you do now."

She let out a shaky breath before choking out, "Even if the person I want to avoid most…is you, Your Highness?"

The prince's hand fell numbly back to his sides, his face blank as he stared at her.

Lucy was on the verge of sobbing, "When I saw you…I recalled everything that I tried so desperately to forget. Being dragged against my will to marry the King...how Sting turned his back on me...Aquarius' death...all of the torture that I endured for a crime that I didn't even commit. My heart is pounding with anxiety because I'm worried that something might happen. I'm so scared right now…and you want me to come back with you to where it all took place?" She shook her again, her voice sounding almost desperate, "Go back. I'm living just fine. I can survive here. Your Highness…" she raised her watery gaze to his face, "I've only ever wanted you to live in peace. And if you continue to give me your heart…you'll never find it. Our standings in this world are too different. You're a prince, and I'm the one that does your laundry. So please, go back. Don't hate or hold grudges. Forget everything. That way…neither of us will get hurt."

She grabbed her basket from the ground and turned to limp away, leaving Natsu standing numbly amongst the sheets that billowed in the wind.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Told you guys that the journey to Nalu wouldn't be so easy... ;)**

 **This is where I'm going to start adding in some of my own components and scenes into the story. There won't be a ton, but there will be a few and they'll mostly be concerning things that were either never explained or things that are mentioned in Scarlet Heart Ryeo that we don't ever actually get to see as scenes. There was already one in this chapter :)**

 **Also, to answer some of your other questions without spoiling too much: Characters that have been more like side characters as of late, like Loke, Gray, Juvia, Jellal, and Erza, will all start playing a more important role in the story very soon. Some of them will willing jump into all of this conflict to aid in the fight while others will be more or less dragged into it. But they'll all have to pick a side sooner or later, so stuff's gonna get really interesting for the last half of this fic ;)**

 **Thank you for reading and thank you so much for your support!**


	41. Chapter 41: Take All of Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Works of Mencius," Gray laughed haughtily as he read the title of the book his wife had placed on the table before him. "Are you testing your husband?" The raven haired prince held his right arm out in front of him, "I'm willing to bet my wrist that I've read it all!"

Juvia raised a brow as she took hold of his hand and pinned it against table, reaching to dip her brush into a jar of ink before swiping it across the prince's wrist, "You're lying. This wrist belongs to Juvia now."

Gray let out a childish snarl, "Bring out the next book! I've read that one for sure!"

Despite his confidence, he hadn't read the next book that Juvia placed in front of him, nor the next two that followed.

His features were set in a childish pout as she drew circles around both of his eyes and the tip of his nose, "Just take it! My arm, leg, and throat. Take it all!"

Juvia was immune to her husband's childish ramblings. She pinned his left hand against the table, moving to swipe her brush over his index finger, "Next."

"Wait." He yanked his hand back and held it against his chest before she could, his voice becoming small, "You…you can't have this. It belongs to Lucy." It was the same finger that the blonde had used the snapweed paste on to dye his fingernail red, and it was the same finger that the two had used in place of a thumbs-up to tell the other that they were the best.

Juvia's body immediately tensed after the words left his mouth, and Gray realized his mistake as she quickly turned to hide her face from him.

He swallowed heavily as he hesitantly made his way to stand directly behind her, wringing his hands together as he timidly asked, "You're…not crying, are you?"

His wife's head quirked to the side a fraction before she was suddenly grasping the front of his hanbok and pushing her weight towards him to pin him on top of the desk.

A small throwing knife whizzed through the air where he'd just been standing, and it wobbled as it embedded itself into the wood of one of the room's walls.

Gray's dark eyes were wide as the weight of her upper body settled onto him, her blue hair falling to brush against the side of his face. But just as suddenly as she was on top of him, she was gone, pulling back to stare at their intruder with annoyance lining her features, "Grandfather..."

Makarov's shoulders were still twisted from throwing the knife, chuckling heartily as he smiled brightly at Juvia, "Wow…my granddaughter's reflexes are still as sharp as ever."

As they spoke, Gray remained lying on top of the table, staring numbly at the ceiling above him. Having Juvia on top of him like that had felt…nice.

The Grand General turned his gaze to the prince, quirking a brow when he saw the circles that were inked around his eyes and nose, "What happened to you? And why are you still stuck on that desk?"

Juvia still had angry pout on her face as she glared at her grandfather, "What would you have done if His Highness had been shocked to death?"

Makarov scoffed, "If that were enough to shock him, how will he survive in this harsh world?"

The prince slowly sat up, his eyes quickly darting to his wife before he looked to the Grand General. Looking almost as if he was afraid to hear the answer, his voice was timid as he asked, "Have…have you found anything?"

Nothing more had to be said for the other two to know that he was talking about Lucy.

Makarov's lips pressed into a thin line, "Nothing yet, Your Highness. But Prince Natsu has returned, and he's eager to find her as well. I'm sure that we'll see her very soon."

Gray softly nodded his head, slight disappointment filing his features.

He didn't love Lucy anymore, or least not in the way that he once did. But he wanted to apologize for the way he'd treated her when he had seen her last. It'd been stupid and childish of him to ask her to be his second wife when he knew that she thought of him as more of a brother than anything else. And he hated himself even more for being angered over the fact that she had refused. If she would let him, he wanted to fix their relationship so that things were like used to be. He was sure that she felt the same way. That was the type of person Lucy was.

* * *

Lucy didn't even take her gaze off of the candle in front of her as she heard the door to the room she was in open and close. It was the only source of light in the darkened room, and as the blonde hugged her knees against her chest, she couldn't help but feel like she was in a similar situation. She was all alone here, doing her best to survive and fight off the darkness that seemed to come at her from every direction.

The person who had come through the door cleared their throat, and she finally turned to them with a small sigh. Her eyes widened when she saw who stood there.

"G-Gildarts?"

* * *

Igneel sighed deep in his throat when the doctor's brows furrowed as he checked his pulse, "You don't have to bother with telling me. I know my condition very well."

The doctor regretfully exited the throne room with a bow, his head sorrowfully hung as he carried his tray through the large, wooden doors.

Gildarts reached across the table that sat in front of the King, filling his cup with freshly brewed tea, "It's a new tea from the Damiwon."

Igneel pushed the cup away, "Nothing appeals to me at the moment."

"Please, Your Majesty," the astronomer pleaded. "A new court lady made a new mixture. It may help ease the pain of your old age. At least try smelling the fragrance."

The King quirked a brow, but raised the cup to his mouth to appease his servant. His expression froze up as soon as the first sip passed his lips, his hands clenching around the cup at the familiar taste, "Lucy made this, didn't she?"

Gildarts swallowed heavily, "I…I only wanted to bring your appetite back. She worked directly with Court Lady Aquarius, so she knows all of her remedies. I apologize for going against your orders, Your Majesty."

Igneel set his cup back down on the table with a deep sigh, "Bring her to me."

* * *

Lucy clenched her hands in the skirt of her hanbok as she limped towards the throne, her head bent over to avoid making eye contact with Igneel. She only glanced up at him once she was directly in front of him, her eyes widening when she noticed the quivering of his hands as he took a sip of the tea she had made for him.

' _The way that he looks…it reminds me of how Grandpa looked just before he died. I don't remember which year Igneel is supposed to pass away, but I'm sure that he doesn't have much time left…'_

She nervously bowed her head when the King finally looked up at her.

A small, knowing smile appeared on his face as he took in her expression, "You're thinking I don't have much time left." He let out a breath as he tiredly leaned onto the table in front of him, "You sure are different from anyone else that I've ever encountered. Where did you come from?" He fixed her with a penetrating stare.

Lucy timidly raised her gaze to his face again as he continued, "After what happened with Court Lady Aquarius, I looked into you. Your childhood friends and hometown relatives…I questioned all of the servants in Sting's household as well. I could only conclude that you suddenly became a different person. So…who are you?"

The blonde swallowed nervously. It'd been a long time since someone had questioned her about this.

"Did you know that Natsu was born under the star of a king?" Igneel continued. "My senses tell me that you're similar to Gildarts. You know the future and can see things others can't. Even so, don't get involved. Fate isn't something that should be tampered with."

Lucy took a small step closer to the throne, her voice barely above a whisper as she weakly asked, "Can't you just send me far away? I don't think that I can stand living here for even a moment more."

"Close your eyes to the things that you can't control. If you cannot keep silent about what goes on here, you'll be in the same situation no matter where you go."

The blonde let out a heavy breath, bringing a hand to her chest and attempting to rub away the tightness that had gathered there.

Igneel let out a long breath too, his brows furrowing, "Zeref and Natsu are both destined to become Kings…No one knows what will happen in this palace after I'm gone." He turned his gaze to Lucy again, "You'll be here to witness all of it. Don't get so hung up on the future that you lose what you have now." His lips quirked in a small smile, "Aquarius called you her daughter. She was one of my most trusted companions, and that's why I'm giving you this advice."

* * *

Jellal quickly set his saenghwang on the table, worry filling his eyes as he hurriedly rushed towards Erza's side after she tripped on the hem of her hanbok. His eyes widened when he noticed that blood was coating one of her blades, "Are you okay? Let me see."

The scarlet haired gisaeng quickly stood, brushing him off as he tried to help, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"No, it's not, Erza. How many times is that now?" He grabbed her left hand before she could stop him, spotting the fresh cut that ran across the knuckle of her thumb. He pushed the sleeve of her hanbok back as well, his heart dropping as he caught sight of the scars that littered her wrist.

She yanked her arm out of his grasp, dropping her gaze to the floor in fear of what she might find in his expression. Would it be pity? Disgust?

"What…what happened? I…I shouldn't ask, right?"

She slowly shook her head, her gaze still trained on the floor.

"Then…would it be alright if I held you? Could I at least do that?"

Erza finally looked up at him, her eyes widening slightly when she saw the genuine concern in his gaze.

He grasped one of her arms before she could stop him, pulling her into his chest and wrapping both of his arms around her before she could protest, "When you went through a hard time…I'm sorry that I wasn't there with you."

"It was before I met you-"

"That's why I feel more sorry. I feel more sorry about that than anything…the fact that I didn't know you then."

Erza felt tears begin to sting her eyes, but she fought to keep them from falling. She normally wasn't one to cry, but Jellal's genuine sincerity wasn't something that she experienced from others often.

"I want only good things to happen for you and to make you happy from now on. So I'll be there for you whenever you need it. Trust me."

* * *

Erza finally let a single tear fall as she sat on one of the gyobang's porches. Jellal had left only a moment ago, regretfully stating that he had other business to attend to. She let him go without saying much. The sun was beginning to set, so there was really no reason for him to stay any longer.

She raised her gaze when she heard uneven footfalls scuffing through the dirt, her expression lightening up a bit when she saw Lucy slowly limping towards her. The blonde had shown up at the gyobang about a year ago, and the two had become close almost immediately. Even though Erza was gisaeng and Lucy was a simple water maid, their differences in status hadn't stopped the two from becoming friends.

The blonde took a seat on the porch as well, her brows furrowing in concern when she saw the tear that was slowly sliding down Erza's cheek, "What happened? Was…was it something with Jellal?"

"Lucy…could you tell me about how you met Jellal again?"

"Oh…" the blonde paused for a moment, struggling to remember the story she had made up. Back when she was still in the palace and able to converse with the princes often, Jellal had told her about the girl that he'd met from later Bosco. He told her of his plans to hide the fact that he was a prince from her, given the hate that she surely must have held for the royal family of the nation that conquered her people. Lucy immediately tried to discourage him from doing so, stating that nothing good ever came out of dishonesty.

She'd honored the prince's wishes though when she ended up meeting the girl herself, keeping his true identity a secret while being as truthful as she could in explaining how she had met him. The blonde perked up as she remembered how she'd worded it the first time, "It was before I entered the palace. I met him in the market. He was a friend of my cousin. That's how."

The corners of Erza's lips quirked in a soft smile, "He seems like a good person."

Lucy smiled as well, a small laugh escaping her lips, "I can promise that he is."

"If it were the old me…I would've never met him. I only ended meeting him because I was put into this position after I was forced to leave my country."

"You know that he only continues to come here because of you. So, don't push him away."

Erza's small smile disappeared as she thought about her plans for the future, "No. We won't be getting any closer. I'll be leaving soon."

Lucy's grin faded too, her expression showing her surprise at her friend's words, "Leaving? Where to?"

The scarlet haired gisaeng smiled as she turned to face the blonde fully, choosing to ignore her questions for the time being, "Do you remember when we first met? We became close because we'd gone through similar hardships. We didn't ask each other why we had to go through such things. So let's keep it that way in the future. It's better not to know. That way, you won't be in a difficult situation if something were to happen."

The blonde stared at her friend, examining every feature of her face to get an indication as to what her friend meant. There was something that Erza wasn't telling her.

"The peace gathering is tomorrow. You'll do my makeup for me, won't you?"

Despite her worries at what her friend was keeping secret, Lucy did her best to smile at her, "Of course. You'll be the prettiest girl there."

Erza gave her a soft smile, "I want them to see me once…and never be able to forget me. That's how I want to be remembered."

* * *

 **AN**

 **A bit of Gruvia and a bit of Jerza :) And also a Lucy and Erza interaction! That scene was fun to write.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	42. Chapter 42: The Peace Gathering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

As Jiemma bowed to him, Laxus glanced around, making sure that they were alone, "Is that girl prepared? The peace gathering will be the ideal opportunity."

"She's full of hatred for the King." Jiemma smirked, "So don't worry."

"We must keep this secret from my mother. As much as she hates the King, she also holds great affection for him as his wife. She can't know that her own son was the one behind his assassination."

* * *

Erza twirled around herself again as she practiced her routine, her blades forcefully stabbing through the air.

Tonight was the night that she would finally take revenge for what had been done to her people.

* * *

Sting clenched his jaw as he fastened the various straps of his armor, pulling at them so the metal was held tight against his frame. He pulled his royal hanbok on as well, making sure that his armor was completely concealed underneath.

There was undoubtedly going to be battle tonight after their plan to assassinate the King was fulfilled, and he was going to be ready for it when it happened.

* * *

Gildarts watched on with worry in his gaze as Igneel weakly slumped forward onto the table in front of him, "You should cancel your appearance, Your Majesty. You don't look well at all. You usually don't attend the peace gathering, so I'm sure that our guests wouldn't mind if you didn't go. You're only going because of the powerful families attending. Let the princes tend to them. You should rest."

"Your Majesty, I think it would be best to attend," Laxus added from his place before the throne.

Sting stood next him, his gaze downcast and his hands respectfully clasped in front of him.

"The goal of your appearance today was to show how healthy you are," Laxus continued. "You must be there in order to stop the rumors."

Igneel let out a deep sigh, "You're right." He paused to take a long breath, "Let's get going then."

The brothers shared a quick glance. Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Laxus scoffed as he saw how intently Gajeel was watching the three gisaengs in pastel hanboks as they performed a fan dance in the center of the floor.

They were seated at tables that ran along the edges of the floor, along with the heads of the power families that had come for the peace gathering. Beige lanterns hung from two wires that ran over the area, the only source of light in the dark night. Colorful ribbons had been tied between the lanterns, and vibrant red cloths with gold patterns had been laid over the tables.

Laxus turned his gaze to the King, who sat at the center of the largest table. He smirked when he saw how Igneel watched the performance with tired eyes, looking like he was going to drop dead at any second.

Gildarts was seated at the King's side, watching him with worry in his eyes.

Laxus smiled in anticipation. His father had become a nuisance in his old age, and he was more than ready to have him disposed of.

* * *

Lucy clenched her hands in her skirt as she limped down a lantern lit path. She'd been brought to the palace again to make tea for the King, but nighttime had fallen and it was time for her to return to the gyobang.

She paused when there was a call of her name from behind her, but she didn't turn to face the speaker, instead keeping her head down and her focus on the ground. She knew the voice well enough to recognize who it was without looking at them.

A familiar hairpin was held into her line of her sight, and she tentatively looked up to see Natsu with a pleasant expression on his face. He wasn't full on smiling, but he didn't look angry or sad either.

His voice was even, "Lucy, let's get married."

The blonde's eyes widened, "W-what?"

"If we get married, you can leave the gyobang and palace. So let's do it."

Lucy numbly shook her head, "I…no. I can't."

Natsu let out a small sigh, looking almost as if he had expected that answer. But his determination didn't fade from his features, "If you really don't like me, then we can divorce once we leave the palace. I'm willing to go through that for you. So let's leave."

She let out a small, bitter laugh, "My feelings for you aren't the issue, Your Highness. You still have a lot of work that needs to be done here. You can't just abandon the fact that you're a prince to run off with a lowly water maid. You don't need to make things difficult for yourself because of me." Lucy dropped her gaze to the ground once again, her voice becoming small, "And the King…he worries and thinks about you a great deal. You can't just abandon him either."

The salmon haired prince scoffed, "He's constantly testing his children. He's a King before he's a father. I don't want to be by his side as he lives out the rest of his life this way."

Lucy took a moment to breathe and gather herself before she spoke again. What she was about to say could get her in serious trouble for suggesting disloyalty to the Crown Prince, and it went against Gildarts and Igneel's warnings. But she couldn't bear to keep it a secret for a second more, and she had to make Natsu understand why she couldn't marry him, and why he couldn't just abandon the palace.

"Your Highness…what if _you_ were to become king?"

Natsu's brows furrowed a fraction, and his tilted slightly in confusion as to where to she was headed with that question.

Her hands fisted in the skirt of hanbok as she ground out, "Would you still leave the palace?"

The prince replied with a question of his own, "If I were king…would you leave with me?"

Lucy only numbly stared at him, unable to answer the question. If he were King, would he really leave it all behind just to be with her?

"When I was traveling as an ambassador," Natsu continued, "I often felt very free. I thought of you all the time. I wanted you to be able to feel freedom like that. I want to be able to live with you in peace, with nothing getting in our way. If that can't happen…then being king has no meaning to me."

He reached down to grasp one of her wrists, a gentle smile on his face as he set the hairpin in her palm and gently folded her fingers over it, "Come with me, Lucy. You're my person, after all."

The blonde only stared at him for a moment. She wanted to say yes more than anything. She'd admitted to herself that she loved him long ago, and now he was giving her a chance to be with him and leave the palace. It was exactly what she yearned for.

But fate wasn't something to be messed with. Just like there was nowhere in Ishgar where one could go to escape the King, there was nowhere one could go to escape the cruel politics of the palace. No matter what she did, Natsu was going to become king eventually, and he would kill his brothers to get there. Fate had already decided that for him.

"No," she yanked her hand out of his grasp, her gaze dropping to the ground once again. She weakly shook her head, "I can't marry you just for the sake of leaving the palace, Your Highness." She turned to leave before he could say anything more, but she froze in place when she saw Sting standing only a short distance away from them, fury coating his features.

Lucy's eyes widened. She hadn't seen the prince since he'd turned his back on her a year ago, when she'd been pleading for Aquarius' life.

The blonde girl clenched her jaw as she limped past him, wanting to get away from both of the brothers as quickly as possible. She'd hoped that she wouldn't have to see Sting ever again after what he'd done to her, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to bring herself to face him if she ever did. There'd been a point where she had actually considered accepting his marriage proposal, and she was ashamed of herself for even thinking that she would be able to trust him.

Natsu moved to chase after her with a call of her name, but Sting stopped him with a firm hand to his chest, "A prince being allowed to marry a water maid? Don't manipulate Lucy with such lies."

The salmon haired prince glared at his brother as he ground out, "If I say its marriage, then its marriage." He grasped his brother's wrist and roughly tore his hand off of his chest before moving to run after Lucy.

"She was put in harm's way…all because of you."

Sting's words had Natsu pausing in his steps again, and he turned to glare at his brother over his shoulder.

"She only ended up like she is now because she got mixed up in a fight between you and your mother. It all started with you. Now you want to marry her?" The blonde prince clenched his jaw, "I won't ever forgive you for what you did to her."

"I fell the same way, _brother,_ " Natsu harshly ground out. "I gave you everything you needed to prove Lucy's innocence. In the end, you couldn't do it. You were a _coward_. Your uselessness infuriates me."

Sting's lips pulled back in snarl, and he launched himself at his brother with a wordless shout, his hands fisting in the front of the salmon haired prince's hanbok.

* * *

Erza kept her eyes zeroed in on the old man as she spun in circles along with her fellow dancers, their small blades slicing through the air. He sat in the middle of the table that ran along the front of the stage, watching the performance with the utmost exhaustion written across his features.

She'd been preparing for this moment for more than a year and had been dreaming of it for even longer. This was her chance to finally take revenge for her people and for her family. She would kill the man that had taken their country, their heritage, and their lives from them.

Laxus had come to her over a year ago to offer her the chance to kill the King. He'd needed someone that held no ties to Ishgar's powerful families, someone that had held an unparalleled hatred for the King.

She'd eagerly agreed without much thought. She hated to see how far her people had fallen, and it pained her to watch them as they desperately tried to survive in a country that wasn't their own. She'd lived every day since their nation had fallen in grief, and Laxus had given her the opportunity to turn that grief into fury. He was the one who had gotten her the position as a gisaeng at the gyobang, and he had arranged for her to perform at the peace gathering. All she had to do to compensate him for what he had done was use her blade to pierce Igneel's chest.

The blonde prince was watching her from his place among the royal advisors, smiling in anticipation. She cast him a quick glance before her focus was drawn to a head of blue hair behind him.

Her eyes widened when she saw Jellal making his way through the men that were crowded behind the tables, and her heart dropped when she caught sight of the royal crest that was emblazoned on the front of his hanbok. Everything made sense all at once. Why Lucy's story about how she had met the man seemed off and why he had access to so many different forms of art and music. It was all because he was prince.

And now, she was going to be the one that killed his father.

* * *

Jellal couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face as he watched Erza dance. He'd been helping her prepare for her peace gathering performance for months, and it brought him great joy to see her courageously swing her blades through the air as she spun around herself and danced across the floor. She'd once fumbled through the moments, often tripping over the skirt of her hanbok and accidentally cutting herself with her blades. But with the confidence that she held now, she stood out from the other four gisaengs that danced with her, and his eyes were automatically drawn to her.

She truly looked beautiful, though not in the delicate sense. She gave off the vibe of a fierce warrior, both in appearance and presence.

Jellal's eyebrows furrowed when he realized where her intense gaze was focused. As he glanced between the scarlet haired gisaeng and the King, a memory of one of their many practices surfaced in his mind.

 _"You got it wrong again! Why do you keep stabbing the blade out like at the end? You're supposed to curl it in."_

His heart dropped as realization dawned upon him. Erza was going to attempt to kill the King.

* * *

Erza clenched her hands tighter around her swords as she ran in a large circle around the floor along with the other dancers, their blades held out to their sides and slicing through the air. She came to a firm stop, her gaze zeroing in on the King once again as she spun her blade in her right hand.

She couldn't lose sight of her goal now that it was placed right before her, even if he was Jellal's father. Her people had suffered because of him for far too long, and she would make him pay for all that he had done.

She darted forward, her sword already poised to stab through his chest.

Jellal was suddenly directly in front of her, flying out of the crowd to catch her shoulders and stop her from reaching her target.

Erza's eyes grew wide as she felt her sword embed itself in his stomach.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Was that too evil of me to end the chapter there?**

 **Anyways, thank you reading!**


	43. Chapter 43: My War is Over

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

All eyes were drawn to the King as he suddenly tipped out of his chair, his head smacking against the table as he lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor. Gildarts and many of the other royal advisors worriedly rushed to his side.

Gajeel turned to Laxus, his jaw clenched, "What should we do? Our plans are ruined."

"Find Sting. Now," the Third Prince ground out.

Finding the faint King of more interest, no one paid any mind to the couple that stood in the middle of the floor, seemingly embracing one another. But if one were to look close enough, they would see the blood that slowly dripped to the floor between the two.

Jellal pulled away from the scarlet haired gisaeng with a pain-filled gasp, keeping a tight grasp on her shoulders as her blade was pulled from his stomach with a sickening squelch. It fell from her limp, quivering grasp to clatter against the floor, and the blue haired prince quickly sent it skidding underneath one of the tables with a small kick.

The woman seemed to be frozen in place, her eyes unfocused as he tightened his grip on her shoulders, "Erza. Run. Hurry."

She numbly shook her head, her eyes darting between his face and the wound that she had given him.

He pushed her away, doing his best to restrain a scream as the action pulled at his wound. He pressed a hand against it as he stared at the scarlet haired woman, urging her to go with his eyes. Everyone's focus was on the King for now, but that could change at any moment. If anyone were to find out she'd injured him, she would be executed without a second thought.

She gazed at him for a long moment before regretfully sneaking away from the gathering, her head hung low and her hands tightly clenched at her sides.

* * *

The servants had carefully carried the King back to his room after he had passed out, and Gildarts and Makarov had chosen to stay by his side after he regained consciousness. They both solemnly watched on as Igneel blankly stared at the ceiling, his breathing shallow, "Is…is this how I will go?"

"Please don't say such weak things, Your Majesty," the Grand General started softly. "They don't suit you."

Igneel swallowed heavily, his eyes unfocused as he quietly, but thoughtfully remarked, "How short and fleeting it was." He paused to slowly let out a breath, "What have I been living for all this time?"

"You founded an empire, Your Majesty," Gildarts solemnly reassured. "That's no small feat."

"An empire?" the King let out a weak, bitter laugh. "Will Ishgar last forever? Did I make the right decision in choosing Crown Prince Zeref?"

"We can confirm that you definitely made the right decision, Your Majesty," Makarov assured. "The Crown Prince _will_ rise to the throne."

A weak smile appeared on Igneel's lips, "I see that I have very good friends." He sighed deep in his throat, "My war is over…Now, your battle begins."

* * *

Lucy let out a sigh as she continued to grind the herbs for the tea she was mixing for the King, feeling grateful that the palace's storeroom was void of any court ladies due to the lateness of the hour. She didn't need her former coworkers to see how low she had fallen.

The blonde had been halfway back to the gyobang when a group of royal soldiers had come to inform her of the King's sudden change in condition, and she'd eagerly accompanied them back to the palace. Her body was exhausted from the day's efforts, and her knee was beginning to ache terribly from having to support her weight all day.

But she would endure it for the King. She understood him better after their previous conversation. He was a man constantly being pulled in every direction by those who sought power, having to push his own feelings aside as he fought an endless battle to make the right choices for his people. She'd never truly hated him for kicking her out of the palace, only for throwing Aquarius away in the manner he had. But she now knew how much of a toll that act had taken on him, and she understood that he'd done it to protect Zeref. She couldn't help but still feel anger towards him, but now she felt pity as well.

She'd stated many times that Ishgar was a merciless place, and it appeared that not even the King of the nation was exempt from suffering its cruelty.

The blonde pulled herself out of her thoughts as she finished grinding the herbs, turning to reach for a jar that rested on a high shelf behind her. She raised herself onto the balls of her feet, her arm held high above her head to stretch for the jar that was just out of her reach.

Another hand was suddenly reaching above hers, easily grabbing the jar and holding it out to her.

She turned to find Loke standing just behind her, her eyes widening when she caught sight of him. It'd been a year since she'd last seen him, and he looked…different to say the least. He'd obviously matured a great deal, his features were more defined and his shoulders had broadened.

He gave her a small smile, stilling holding the jar out for her, "I heard that the King got his appetite back thanks to some tea from a new court lady. It was you, wasn't it?"

Lucy went back to preparing the tea, avoiding eye contact with the orange haired prince, "I'm only here for a short while, and no one's supposed to know. I'm only preparing tea the way Court Lady Aquarius taught me, then I'll be going."

"It's not like I'm planning on telling anyone. It's been so long since I've seen you, so I'm just happy you're here."

He leaned against the counter behind her, proudly crossing his arms over his chest, "I've come back from war. All I could think about when I got back was how much I wanted to drink your tea."

"I…I'm sorry that I wasn't here, Your Highness."

Loke huffed out a breath, "What am I supposed to do if you say that? I can't even help you, so what am I to say?"

Lucy finally looked up to him as he grasped her shoulders, determination filling his features, "I'll bring you back no matter what I have to do."

The blonde softly shook her head as she forced a small smile onto her face, "I'm fine, Your Highness."

Loke wasn't one to be persuaded so easy, "I'll take care of everything. So just wait."

* * *

Laxus sneered as he walked through the palace's courtyard, Sting and Gajeel at his flanks, "The Crown Prince mustn't find out about the King's current condition."

"I've sent soldiers to guard all roads leading to Magnolia," Sting remarked, his lips pressed into a thin line. "No one will be able to enter or leave the city for the time being."

Laxus paused in his steps, his eyes zeroing in on the entrance to the Cheondeokjeon Palace, the King's person living quarters, "The moment the King passes away, we must secure his last decree and grab our chance at victory."

The three looked to the side as the sound of hurried footfalls filled the air, and they caught sight of Loke running towards them, his expression filled with worry, "Brothers, how's the King?"

There was no chance for them to reply.

Royal guards were suddenly filing in from the sides of the courtyard with spears and swords in hand, running to form five lines between the princes and the entrance to the palace.

The princes' eyes all zeroed in on Grand General Makarov as he walked towards them, the guards stepping aside to let him through.

Gajeel fixed the small man with a glare, "Grand General, what do you think you're doing?"

The old man looked between the four, "Your Highnesses, you should all return to your homes. His Majesty will give his commands soon."

"No way," Laxus started, his voice filled with fake concern. "If the King is suffering from an illness, we need to protect Cheondeokjeon so his last decree remains unchanged."

A knowing smile appeared on Makrov's face, "Oh really? Are you sure that you don't wish to stick around so that you can _change_ his last decree?" His smile disappeared, and he glared at each of them in turn, "If you don't wish to be suspected of such a thing, then you should all leave this place."

Gajeel turned to Laxus, his voice a hushed whisper, "I don't see Natsu. Where has he been all this time?"

Sting overheard them, his eyes scanning over their surroundings as well. He hadn't seen his salmon haired brother since their confrontation last night.

"Whoever steps into Cheondeokjeon Palace without His Majesty's permission," Makarov continued, "will be condemned as a criminal guilty of treason. So, it'd be best if you all were to leave this very moment."

* * *

Grandeeny's lips quivered in fury as she glared at Gildarts, who stood in front of the doors to her husband's room, "Move! I must see the King for myself." Her voice rose in volume when he made no move, "You dare to stop me?! I'm this nation's Queen! Do you want to die?!"

The astronomer only gave her a blank stare, still not moving from in front of the doors. Several guards stood at his sides, waiting for his command.

"Gildarts, are you trying to hide the condition of my own husband from me?"

The man bent over in a small bow, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"What about the princes? You haven't harmed them, have you?"

"Of course not, Your Majesty. The princes have been commanded to return to their homes."

Grandeeny's jaw clenched as realization dawned on her, "You're buying time until the Crown Prince arrives, aren't you?"

* * *

Lucy tried to keep quiet as she prepared tea for the King. He lay on his bed only a few feet away from her, and the blonde wasn't sure if he was still awake or not. He was still breathing, but it'd been a while since he'd moved otherwise.

Being alone in his room with him like this felt strange to say the least. He held so much power, yet here he was, barely breathing as he weakly fought to stay alive for a moment longer.

She looked to him when she heard a small groan, and she rushed to his bedside as his eyes fluttered open, "Your Majesty!"

"Even the aroma of your tea smells like that of Aquarius'."

"Are…are you feeling alright?"

His glassy eyes slowly slid over to look at her, "I'll be dying soon."

Her eyes widened, but she didn't get the chance to give him any reassurances as he quickly continued, "Lucy…I was the one that left the map for Natsu. The one with your location on it. I've been a terrible father. I know that I was the one who sent you away in the first place...but it was the only thing I could think of doing to make it up to him…Natsu, and the other princes…they all trust you a great deal. You even managed to befriend the Crown Prince…Lucy, could you bring him to me? I…I need to see Zeref before I go. You must find him before its too late."

"You…you want _me_ to do it? I…I can't walk very fast. I'll find someone who can go much quicker than me."

"No," Igneel breathed out, "it must be you…No one else from inside the palace…must find out about my death before the Crown Prince arrives."

"W-what?"

"When you leave this room, you'll undoubtedly be approached by others…They'll ask you about my condition. To the person who merely asks how I am…tell them that I'm only asking for more tea. To the person who asks if I'm dead, you need to be careful…That person, is after the throne…"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Stuffs gonna get crazy real soon ;)**

 **As always, thank you for reading! And thank you to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed!**


	44. Chapter 44: For Your Sake

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

' _To the person who asks if I am dead, you need to be careful…That person, is after the throne…Get going…You cannot trust anyone…The fate of the Ishgar Empire rests on your shoulders…That's probably the reason why you ended up here…'_

Igneel's last words to her repeated themselves in her head as she did her best to run with her deformed knee.

Lucy had no idea where to even begin looking for Zeref. She had no indication as to whether or not he was even still in the palace.

She froze in her steps as she entered the courtyard, baffled by the number of guards that stood at the ready. She shared a quick glance with Makarov, the old man giving her a subtle nod before turning to one of his soldiers, "Be on guard."

"Yes, Grand General."

* * *

Natsu pulled his speeding horse to a stop when he caught sight of the royal guards who stood in the middle of the dirt road he was traveling down. Minerva was seated on a horse behind them, one of her brows raising as he came into her line of sight.

The prince scanned his fierce gaze over them, making sure they could see the sheathed blade he had clutched in his left hand, "Step aside…unless you want to die." He had to find Zeref before their father passed.

"No one's allowed to leave Magnolia," Minerva informed him, her cold gaze unwavering.

"Are these Sting's orders?" Natsu scoffed, his focus turning to the side, "So my suspicions were correct. I caught sight of Sting's armor beneath his hanbok last night. I wondered why he would secretly wear armor into the palace…He was planning on killing the King at the peace gathering, wasn't he?"

"Last night's events don't matter. The King's condition has worsened. The real question you should be asking is 'who will sit on the throne next?'"

"I already know the answer to that," the salmon haired prince ground out. "Zeref's the King's successor. That's his wish."

Minerva quirked a brow, "What about _you_ , Natsu? What is it that you wish for? By chance…do you want to become King?"

Natsu scoffed again, "Is becoming King something so easy that you can become one just because you want to?"

The princess smiled sweetly at her half-brother, "You could become one with my help. If my family and I supported you…you could easily become King. The world would be yours. You could have everything."

Natsu dropped his gaze, "If I become King, will the heart that I yearn for finally become mine?"

Minerva's head quirked to the side in confusion.

"If that were the case…then I would do it."

* * *

Lucy clenched her jaw as her knee began to ache even more. She'd been running through the different buildings of the palace for quite some time, and she hadn't even caught a glimpse of Zeref or anything that would give her an indication as to where he was.

"Lucy!"

She paused in her steps at the call of her name, and she froze in place as she saw Sting approaching, his eyes scanning their surroundings as he came to stand directly in front of her.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

The blonde girl bowed her head, "The King is asking for more tea. I'm going to the storeroom to mix some for him."

There a brief pause before Sting suddenly shifted the topic, his voice sounding slightly solemn, "What's all this nonsense about marrying Natsu? I…I didn't know that you had that kind of relationship with him."

Lucy clenched her jaw. The blond prince had no right to be upset about her relationship with Natsu. He'd abandoned her when she need his help the most, blatantly turning his back on her because he was too afraid of the consequences that would fall upon him if he helped her.

She shook her head as she moved to limp around him, "I don't have time to talk about this right now. I have to get more tea for the King."

"Lucy…has the King passed away?"

The blonde girl paused in her steps again, Igneel's words from before echoing in her mind.

' _To the person who asks if I am dead, you need to be careful…That person, is after the throne…'_

Lucy clenched her hands in her skirt, her voice becoming small, "Your Highness…do you…want to become King?"

Sting swallowed heavily before he responded, "When I lost you…I couldn't do anything with the limited power that I had. In order to protect those that I love, I realized that I need to become the most powerful. That's why I am going to be King. For your sake."

* * *

Grandeeny threw the doors to husband's room open, her extravagant hanbok fluttering behind her as she rushed inside. Gildarts had finally let her in, and she went directly to sit next to Igneel on the bed, the astronomer coming to stand behind her.

"My King, are you alright?" She ran a hand down the side of her husband's face, "Are you awake?"

Gildarts' eyes widened as he pressed his fingers against the King's wrist. He sorrowfully bowed his head, "Your Majesty…he has passed…"

The Queen desperately shook her head, attempting to swallow back her tears as she choked out, "No…How could you leave me behind? Open your eyes!" She grasped her husband's limp hand in her own, "You cannot leave me behind like this…" She weakly beat at his chest as grief overtook her, "Come back! You can't leave like this!" She fell over his body as she began full on sobbing, "Open your eyes…Come back to me!"

* * *

"For my sake?" Lucy stared at Sting numbly, "You're doing all of this because of me?"

"It's already started. Tomorrow, Laxus and I will attack Cheondeokjeon Palace."

The blonde girl anxiously shook her head, "No! You can't. That's treason!"

He grasped her shoulders, leaning down to look directly into her eyes, "Lucy, Zeref will not be able to return. Fighting over an empty seat is just a battle over a throne, not a battle against a ruler. So, don't say anything to anyone. You only need to find a place to hide until I can come to you afterwards. You can do that, right?"

Lucy fought to restrain an incredulous laugh. After all that he did to her, he thought that she would still wait for him. He was incredibly naïve.

"I'll ask you again, Lucy," Sting anxiously pressed. "Has the King died?"

She looked him dead in the eye, her voice unwavering, "The King…has asked for more tea." She shook her shoulders out of his grip, quickly bowing to him before starting on her way.

"Lucy…Zeref isn't in Magnolia."

The water maid came to a halt, but she didn't turn to face him as he continued speaking to her.

"You won't be able to bring him here on your own."

Lucy took a slow inhale before starting to limp away again. She wouldn't give up. There had to be some way to warn Zeref of what was going on, and she would do whatever she could to find it.

* * *

Minerva let out a disbelieving scoff, "You want to become King just to win over someone's heart? The throne is not a seat to be trifled with in such a way."

Natsu quirked a brow, "To me, that's all it is." He fixed her with a cold glare, "Open up the road. If you don't, I'll assume you are plotting treason."

"I'm only stopping people from travelling because I want to _prevent_ treason whilst the King is ill. I can't open the road for a person when I have no way of knowing who he'll bring back with him. There are no exceptions. Please return to the palace."

* * *

Erza glared at the man that stood across from her, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, "You ruined everything. If it weren't for you, I would've killed the King."

Jellal fixed her with a glare of his own, his hand unconsciously pressing over the wound that she had given him. It'd been treated and bandaged by the palace's doctor, who the prince had bribed with a hefty sum of money to keep quiet. He took a few steps closer to the scarlet haired woman, his voice matching her harsh tone, "You pretended to be a gisaeng this entire time just to get the chance to kill the King. Why did you do it? What kind of grudge do you have that you would risk doing something like that?!"

"Your father..." her voice suddenly drained of all its spite, becoming small, "…he killed my family. All of them. I'm the only one left…"

Jellal's anger seemed to disappear, and his eyes sorrowfully fell to look at her hand, "Is…is that why you have the scars on your wrist? Because of my father?"

She didn't say anything, only dropping her gaze to the floor and blinking to clear away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Erza." He grabbed her shoulder, using his grasp to pull her into his chest so he could wrap his arms around her, "I'm sorry for being his son."

She didn't hug him back. Her arms remained limply hanging by her sides. But she buried her face into his chest, the material of his hanbok soaking up the tears that managed to fall before she could stop them.

* * *

"I have to assume that the King is dead by now." Laxus clenched his hand around his tea cup, his glare fixated on nothing in particular, "Or at least, he must be very close to passing."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed, "Then…will Zeref take his place on the throne?" He turned his gaze to the door as Loke entered the room, somewhat sarcastically remarking, "Oh, good thing you're here. Any news about the King? Is he dead yet?"

Loke's lips pulled back over his teeth in a small snarl, "You shouldn't speak so carelessly about our father." He walked past his brother to sit across from Laxus at the table, "He's been drinking a lot of tea, and must have more energy now because of it. Why would you even ask such a thing?"

"Are you certain?" Gajeel huffed out a breath, his brows furrowing in thought, "Then why is he holding the Queen hostage?"

"Hostage?" Loke repeated, his eyes widening. He turned to Laxus, "Has mother not returned from the Cheondeokjeon Palace yet?"

"They're likely keeping her there to prevent news from leaking out."

Loke sighed, "I'll go back then, and figure out what's happening."

"By the way," Laxus started, halting his younger brother in his attempt at leaving, "where did you hear that the King was drinking a lot of tea? Who told you?"

Loke turned back to him, "They said that the King was getting his appetite back with Lucy's tea. She served him both last night and today."

The blond prince was suddenly on his feet, his eyes locking on Gajeel, "Find that girl. Now. She's our key to finding out about the King's condition."

Loke's eyes widened as his brother continued to spew commands.

"She's always been loyal to the Crown Prince. We have to find her before she can tell Zeref about the King. Find her. Now!"

* * *

Lucy slid to a stop and hid herself behind a nearby pillar when she caught sight of Gajeel talking to a group of guards at the end of the porch she was running down. She couldn't be sure, but she had a feeling that the Ninth Prince was a part of whatever scheme Sting and Laxus had come up with. She didn't trust him even if he wasn't involved. He'd been the one to order her arrest after Natsu had been poisoned, and he was subsequently the one that brought on all of the torture that she had endured after the fact.

She peeked around the edge of the pillar, her eyes widening when she overheard the prince say her name. He was questioning the guards about her location.

A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and she almost let out a small scream, but another hand was soon covering her mouth and she was pressed back against the pillar. The tension faded from her body when her eyes found Natsu standing in front of her, his jaw clenched and his eyes filled with worry. He let his hand fall from her mouth when he saw that she'd calmed down, but he kept a tight hold on her wrist, ready to drag her away from the area if the need arose.

She lowered her voice to an anxious whisper, "Your Highness…the King has passed away."

His eyes widened and his hand fell from its grasp around her wrist, "W-what?"

The blonde bowed her head solemnly, "When I last saw him, he was just about to die. By now…" She looked back up at the prince, "He told me to bring the Crown Prince without anyone finding out." She used both of her hands to grasp one of his arms, her grip dragging the prince out of the daze that he'd gone into when he'd heard of his father's passing, "Your Highness…Prince Laxus is going to attack the Cheondeokjeon Palace tomorrow. He has Prince Sting on his side, and I'm positive that Prince Gajeel is with them as well. You need to bring the Crown Prince and stop them."

"Lucy…how do you know all of this?"

"Does that really matter right now?"

Natsu's eyes began to wander as he thought out loud, "Zeref's in Acalypha. All of the roads out of Magnolia are blocked. We'll need to find another way out.

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction, "Did you say Acalypha? As in Bosco's former capital?" Her features filled with determination, "I know someone who might be able to help us out."

Her mind turned to the girl that she had met at the gyobang. Her friend was from the fallen country of Bosco, and could possibly provide them with lesser known routes to its former capital.

They had to find her quickly. Erza was their only hope.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Told you guys that Erza would start playing a more important role ;)**

 **And Goodbye Igneel...at least we finally got to see Grandeeny actually show human emotions for once…**

 **Thank you for reading and thanks for your support!**


	45. Chapter 45: Short and Fleeting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Jellal and Erza sat on the porch of the gyobang where the scarlet haired woman worked. Not much had been said since the gisaeng had revealed her reasons for attempting to assassinate the King, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable in the least. After a night filled with commotion, they were both happy to have a moment of peace.

"Erza!"

The shout of the woman's name broke the silence, and Lucy soon appeared around the corner of the gyobang, Natsu following quietly behind her.

Jellal's eyes widened as he caught sight of the blonde, and he was filled with relief. He hadn't seen her for over a year, not since when she had been protesting for Aquarius' life. After that, she'd just seemed to disappear. But their reunion was far less joyous than he would have hoped. She only gave him a quick glance and a small smile before limping over to Erza, her expression filled with desperation.

"Erza, you said that your hometown was Acalypha, right?"

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?" Jellal's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"We need to get to the Crown Prince."

"What? Why?"

Natsu suddenly stepped closer to Erza, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked her over, "Can we really trust this girl?"

"Of course!" Lucy looked at the salmon haired prince over her shoulder, "She's my friend. You don't have to worry, we can trust her."

Jellal added in his reassurances as well, "Lucy's right. Erza's a good person. I don't know what you need her to do, but I promise you that she be can be trusted."

Erza remained silent the entire time that they were talking about her, her eyes trained on the blue haired prince. She had just attempted to kill his father, and even though he was fully aware of that fact, he still trusted her. She wondered if she was really worthy of such forgiveness.

Natsu clenched his jaw, his lips pressing into a thin line as he turned to tell his brother the grim news, "Jellal…father has passed away."

"W-what?" the blue haired prince's eyes widened. "Are…are you sure?"

Natsu nodded his head solemnly, "We have to assume so…But we have no time to grieve. Tomorrow, Laxus and Sting will attack Cheondeokjeon Palace to go after the throne. Grand General Makarov and I will do our best to hold them off," he looked to Erza, "while you go and inform Zeref of the situation. It'll probably end up taking you two days, and it won't be easy. Sting's blocked all of the roads out of Magnolia."

Erza thought over the proposition. She'd just attempted to assassinate the ruler of this nation, and now these three wanted to put its future in her hands. She held no grievances against the country itself, only the man who had once ruled it. But now he was gone, and she was left without a purpose. She could choose to just go home and avoid further entangling herself in the politics of the palace, but that would mean leaving Ishgar in the hands of a man who would undoubtedly become a King far crueler than Igneel ever was. She'd never even seen Laxus herself, but she'd heard the stories of his merciless and power-hungry personality. Her people had already suffered enough, but she was sure that if Laxus were to become King, they, along with everyone else in Ishgar, would be treated as nothing more than slaves.

Her features suddenly filled with determination. If Jellal was placing his trust in her, even after all she'd done, then she wouldn't betray it.

"I'll do it. There's a road in and out of Magnolia that only I know."

* * *

Sting narrowed his eyes as he thought over what his sister had just told him, "If Natsu was attempting to leave Magnolia, then he was undoubtedly trying to get to Zeref."

Minerva glanced over at him as she went about lighting the many candles and lanterns in his darkened study, "You don't think that father's already died, do you?"

"I'm not sure. They've been keeping the Queen in the palace, and no one has heard from her since this morning."

The princess lowered herself into the chair across from her brother with a heavy sigh, "So, no one knows the King's condition. This is an opportunity. Attack the palace now and announce that the King has decreed you to be the next king. No one has heard any news of him since he passed out at the peace gathering last night, so there'll be no one to refute it."

Sting scoffed, "You have no fear. You want to go after the King's last decree?"

"You take too long to think over things. We can't afford to lose everything we've worked for while you just sit here pondering."

"I've told you this already, Minerva," the blonde prince ground out. "I don't want to become king with people calling me a traitor. I don't want anyone to pick at my weaknesses. I don't want any flaws in my succession to the throne."

Minerva's lips pulled back in a small sneer, "No matter how much I try, I can't figure out what you're true intentions are. You wore your armor when you entered the palace yesterday. I thought that you were on the same side as Laxus, but you refuse to kill the Crown Prince. I don't understand you."

"I'm prioritizing," Sting answered simply. "Who do you think would be more advantageous to attack first? The Crown Prince or our third brother? I can't make a single mistake on my path to the throne."

The princess let out a small laugh, "You have changed, Sting. You're not being forcefully dragged into this. You seem to sincerely want the throne now."

* * *

It hadn't been that hard to get inside the throne room. The soldiers that were normally stationed at the doors were with Grand General Makarov now, guarding the entrance to the palace.

Lucy let out a shaky breath as she stared at the throne, its gold surface catching the light of the candles that were scattered across the room. Not knowing who would sit in it next terrified her, possibly more than her visions of the future had terrified her.

She looked over her shoulder when she heard the doors to the room open and close, finding a solemn Natsu slowly making his way to stand next to her.

He sighed heavily as he looked to the throne as well, "Why are you looking at it like that? Do you want to sit in it?"

"No…I just don't like it."

"Everyone risks their lives for that seat. I'm pretty sure you're the first person to say you don't like it."

"The King threw Court Lady Aquarius aside to protect that seat. And you, Your Highness…will have to fight your brothers because of it." The blonde let out another shaky breath, "It's a very scary seat." She tore her gaze off of the throne and turned to face the prince, "The King told me to live my life rationally and according to reason…That's why I'm siding with the Crown Prince. But even though you have to fight Laxus and Sting tomorrow…you'll try not to hurt them, right? They're still your brothers no matter what, and I'm sure if something were to happen to one of them because of you…it would haunt you forever."

"I've already promised myself that I would do my best to leave them unharmed. Like you said, no matter what they've done…they're still my brothers. I don't want them to die either." He turned away from the throne as well, one of his brows quirked as he faced her, "You know, I could die, too. Are you not worried for me?"

Her lips quirked in the smallest of smiles, "You'll be fine, Your Highness. I don't know much else, but I know that for sure."

The prince turned his gaze back to the throne, his lips pressed into a thin line as the shimmering gold seat brought to mind memories of his father, "Even people who don't seem like they'll ever die pass on eventually."

* * *

Grandeeny shoved Gildarts away as the astronomer tried to place a sheet over the King's still body, "Get away. He's mine. Don't touch him."

The man's lips twisted in disgust, "His Majesty wouldn't like the way you're acting right now."

The Queen scoffed, "What do you know? You're only a lowly astronomer." She grabbed his wrists as he moved to place the sheet over the King again, "I told you to stop!"

Gildarts used her grip on his wrists against her, moving his arms to shove her away from him and to the ground, "I may be a lowly astronomer, but I was the King's most trusted advisor. Some would say that I knew him better than you, Your Majesty. And you're his own wife. So please, allow me to do my duties and take care of My King for the last time."

He moved to lay the sheet over Igneel, pausing in the action again when a new voice called out, "Wait!"

The astronomer turned to find Natsu standing in the door frame, his expression filling with pain as he looked at his father's still body, "I…I would like to see him."

Grandeeny shot to her feet, "How did you get in here? What about Laxus? Is Loke here?"

Natsu left her questions unanswered, his gaze never leaving his father's face as he swept aside the sheer, black canopy that had been hung around the bed. He swallowed back his tears as he kneeled next to it, his hand slowly sliding across the mattress to rest on top of his father's.

"His last words were that life is short," Gildarts started solemnly. "He said that life is short and fleeting."

There was silence as Grandeeny fell into her grief once again, and Natsu lost himself in a memory.

 _Natsu let out a light scoff as Gildarts handed him the box, "The King must think that sending a mask every year is enough fatherly affection."_

 _The astronomer let out a small laugh, urging him to open the gift._

 _Although he already knew what its contents would be, the prince opened the box anyways. Inside, a gray and black clay mask rested atop a small pile of red silk. He removed it and held it over the mask that he was already wearing, turning to Gildarts to get his input._

 _The man nodded happily in approval, beginning to ramble on about how he would surely be able to terrify anyone that got in his way by wearing such a mask._

 _Natsu happened to turn his head to the side a fraction, catching sight of his father peeking out at him from in between the material of his palanquin's canopy._

 _Igneel had come to Shirotsume to meet with the head of the Strauss household, and Natsu didn't think that he would even be able to get a glimpse of the King._

 _But here he was, a gentle smile on his face and something akin to yearning in his gaze as he stared at his son._

Natsu swallowed heavily as he stood, his eyes never leaving Igneel's face. He took the sheet from Gildarts without even looking at the astronomer, a single tear carving down his cheek as he laid it over his father's body. Their family crest, a fire-breathing dragon, was emblazed on the pure white material, and it came to rest just over the deceased King's face.

"Gildarts," Natsu choked out, a few more tears silently streaming down his face, "How many men and weapons does the palace have? Go check with Grand General Makarov."

Grandeeny's brows furrowed, her eyes wide as she looked between the two men, "What?"

The salmon haired prince turned to the astronomer, his jaw clenched, "Once the sun rises…Laxus and Sting will be raising a rebellion. The King wished to hand the throne to the Crown Prince. We need to ensure that it happens."

"I'll go right away," Gildarts bowed to the prince before hurriedly taking his leave.

"A rebellion?" the Queen started, her eyes pleading with her son for more information. "You said Laxus, right? He's probably coming for me. He's coming to see why you all have me locked up in here!"

Natsu turned to leave, but Grandeeny desperately latched onto his forearms.

"You can't harm him. If you even so much as touch Laxus, I'll kill you myself."

The prince stared her dead in the eyes, immune to her weak attempt at a threat, "You expect him to get away without injury after committing treason? You're too greedy, _mother_." He roughly threw her hands off of him before he exited the room, not even bothering to bow to her before left.

* * *

 **AN**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**


	46. Chapter 46: Long Live the King

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Whoa," Erza pulled her horse to a stop when she looked back to see Jellal clutching his abdomen, his hand pressed over the area where she'd stabbed him. His jaw was clenched as he fought to restrain pained noises from escaping his mouth, and his skin was pale as he pulled his own horse to a stop.

The scarlet haired gisaeng dismounted, moving to unstrap various supplies from her horse's saddle so they could rest for the night. They'd both wanted to cover as much ground as they could before stopping, but Jellall's wound was making that quite difficult to accomplish. Besides, it had grown dark hours ago, and it'd become harder to see obstacles as they made their way through the narrow forest path. She figured it would be best to stop regardless of whether or not Jellal needed the rest.

"Erza," the prince breathed out, his voice fighting to conceal his obvious pain, "We need to keep going."

"What we need is to take a break," she responded, her voice firm. "If we keep going on like this, your wound will open up more. Then we may not get to Acalypha at all."

Jellal begrudging dismounted his horse as well, clutching his abdomen the entire time. There was no protesting when Erza got like this, so he helped her gather wood for a fire, finding a small log for them to sit on in the process. They settled beside a small stream, and for a while, the only noise was the crackling of the fire. They had to sit close together to fit on the small log, but neither seemed to mind.

"Erza…" Jellal tentatively began. "You know, in the beginning, I wasn't trying to hide the fact that I was a prince. I wasn't trying to fool you."

The woman only let out a light sigh, "I know. I hid things from you, too. So we're even."

Jellal gave her a small smile before turning his gaze back to the fire, "I could just be a musician and you could be a gisaeng…I wonder what it would've been like if that were true. If so…would we have an entirely different relationship?"

Erza huffed out a breath, "There's no point in thinking about the 'what ifs.' Just rest up a little, then we'll be on our way. We only need to cross one more mountain…then we'll be in Acalypha."

"Erza…we'll have to part ways tomorrow," the prince solemnly stated.

She softly nodded her head, her lips pressing into a grim line, "We won't have a reason to meet again. I…I don't want to."

Jellal couldn't help the disappointment that flashed across his face, so he turned his head to the side, swallowing heavily to keep his voice from sounding choked, "Alright…I guess if that's how you really feel."

They sat in silence for a moment before Jellal worked up the courage to ask, "Erza…since we won't be seeing each other again, then…can I do whatever I want for tonight?"

She turned to him, her eyes wide at his question.

Jellal watched her face carefully as he slowly leaned in, looking for any indication of a protest. But she didn't move away, her eyes slowly falling shut as he gently pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

Almost a hundred men had joined Laxus and Sting in their rebellion. They stood in a militaristic formation behind the two princes, facing the gates of the palace. They were all soldiers that belonged to either Jiemma or Jose, Gajeel's father-in-law. The Ninth Prince himself had chosen not to participate in the battle, stating that he'd rather not dirty his hands with the blood of lowly soldiers. Laxus begrudgingly let it slide, but only because the majority of the men were Gajeel's father-in-law's soldiers and he would lose them if he didn't appease the Ninth Prince.

Laxus narrowed his eyes as he scanned their surroundings, "It's too quiet. Almost as if they're expecting us."

"Most of the military is out with Zeref," Sting remarked. "There aren't many soldiers left to defend the palace."

The Third Prince's lips quirked in a smirk, "Even if they were to come back now, it would take them a whole day."

"Laxus, I have a request to ask of you."

He quirked a brow, turning to face his younger brother, "What is it? Ask me anything."

Sting didn't bother looking at his brother, his eyes staying focused on the palace's gates, "If Natsu tries to stop us…please make sure to kill him."

Laxus chuckled, "There's no need to request that of me. I want him dead myself, so I'll make sure to kill him."

Sting started forward, and Laxus looked over his shoulder at his army before following behind. The men filed through the palace's gates, their weapons held at the ready as they entered the courtyard.

Natsu and Makarov stood waiting at the front of the group of palace guards, their armor reflecting the bright sunlight and their swords clutched in hand. The salmon haired prince glared as his brothers came to a stop a few feet in front of him, their soldiers reforming their lines behind them.

Sting found a splash of pink between the armor-clad guards of the palace, and his eyes widened when he saw Lucy standing at the top of the steps that led to the entrance of the palace. One of her hands was fisted, pressing firmly against her chest, and the other was clenched in the skirt of her pink hanbok. Her gaze found him in the sea of soldiers as well, and through her eyes she pleaded with him to stop the rebellion.

He broke eye contact with her then, and dropped his gaze to the ground. He'd already made up his mind, and there was no turning back.

The two armies faced one another in the palace's courtyard, both looking to their leaders to receive their commands.

Makarov was the first to speak, his powerful voice echoing throughout the area, "You dare to bring an army to the King's palace?! This is treason!"

"My mother's been in there for over a day," Laxus ground out. "I need to know the truth behind why the palace has been sealed off."

"I've told you that the King needs his rest."

Laxus' lips pulled back in a sneer, "Do you really think that I would believe such a blatant lie, old man? Let my mother out now, or I'll assume that you're pushing out the Crown Prince and planning on taking over the throne."

"You dare to accuse _me_ of desiring the throne?! Isn't that why _you're_ here?!" Makarov took an angry step forward, but Natsu silently held an arm out in his path.

Sting suddenly unsheathed his sword and lunged towards Natsu with a wordless shout. The salmon haired prince quickly pulled out his own sword, blocking the attack with ease.

Laxus smirked as his younger brothers launched into combat, the sound of their swords clanking against one another ringing throughout the courtyard. He passed on the opportunity to call his men into action, choosing to let them stand idle so he could observe their fight.

If Sting really did end up killing Natsu, he wanted to be there to witness it for himself.

* * *

Lucy clenched her hands tighter in the material of her hanbok as the two brothers fought. Neither had gained the upper hand, and neither had been injured thus far. She prayed it would remain that way. No matter what Sting had done to her, she would never wish death or injury upon him, or anyone else for that matter.

Her mind turned to Natsu next. He'd promised her that he would do his best to prevent injuring his brothers, but she could tell that he wasn't holding back.

' _If history is correct, then Natsu is supposed to kill his brothers to get to the throne…Is this where he kills Sting?'_

* * *

The two brothers paused in their duel, their blades still pressed firmly together, when Laxus' men suddenly began dropping to ground one by one, arrows littering their flesh. They looked to see men atop the walls that ran along the edges of the courtyard, bows in hand as they notched more arrows and continued to down Laxus' men.

Natsu took advantage of the distraction and pushed Sting away with a foot to the chest. The blonde prince stumbled back and Natsu held his sword at the ready just in case his brother decided to attack again.

Royal soldiers were suddenly rushing through the gates, filing in to apprehend and subdue the remaining soldiers of Laxus' army. The Third Prince himself had wide eyes as an armor-clad Zeref proudly walked in behind his men, Jellal following at his right flank. The two newly arrived princes made their way through the scattered soldiers, quickly approaching the center of the courtyard where Natsu, Sting, Laxus, and Makarov stood.

Laxus anxiously turned to his blonde younger brother, "Sting, get inside the palace. Now! We can't let Zeref ruin our chance-"

He cut himself when Sting suddenly spun to hold a sword to his throat, his gaze cold.

Laxus let out a small, incredulous laugh as he turned to look at his brother over his shoulder, "You're going to betray me _now_?"

Sting's cold gaze was unwavering, "We were never on the same side, _brother._ So it isn't betrayal."

Zeref and Jellal finally arrived at the center of the courtyard, and the Crown Prince came to a stop directly in front of Laxus, his lips pressed into a thin line, "Sting warned me about your plans through a letter. I was already on my way back when I ran into Jellal." He turned to face the Eighth Prince, "Sting, you've proven your loyalty this time."

"It was my honor, Crown Prince."

Natsu scoffed to himself as he listened to his brother talk. How had Sting managed to fool everyone about where his loyalties lied? There was still something off about him, and Natsu knew that he would have to keep a watchful eye on him in the future.

Laxus' lips pulled back in a sneer, "So, all of this was a trap to catch me?!"

Makarov raised a hand, commanding two of his soldiers to come forward and cease the Third Prince. He fought against them as they pushed him to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground in the process.

It was then that Gildarts emerged from the doors of the palace, his eyes scanning over the sea of soldiers and his expression filling with relief when he spotted Zeref amongst them. He came to stand at the top of the steps, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard as he solemnly announced, "His Majesty…has passed."

Lucy, who stood just behind the astronomer, felt like crying herself when she caught sight of the pained expression that appeared on Zeref's face as he heard the news. She also saw a single tear streak down Jellal's cheek, but no one else seemed to have much of a reaction. She supposed that was because most people had already assumed that the King was dead. He'd been incredibly weak at the end of his life, and it was surprising that he survived as long as he did.

Gildarts' firm voice continued to ring through the air, "He has left a decree stating that Crown Prince Zeref is to be the next king. The Queen has acknowledged and received the decree. I deliver this message to you, Your Highnesses, on behalf of our beloved King Igneel." He finished his statement with a bow.

"Father…" Zeref's eyes became glassy as he thought about the King. Igneel had done everything he could to protect him, and he wasn't even there to say goodbye when he took his last breath.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when Sting suddenly kneeled before him, his head bowed as his voice cried out, "Greetings to the new king, Your Majesty. Long live the King!"

Natsu kneeled before him as well, "Greetings to the new king. Long live the King!"

"What are you all doing?!" Makarov's voice rang through the courtyard. "Get on your knees, and greet the new king!"

All of the men in the courtyard were suddenly kneeling, and Lucy carefully lowered herself to her knees as well.

Zeref was overcome with an incredible sense of inadequacy as over a hundred voices chorused, "Long live the King!"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Quite an exciting chapter! A Jerza kiss and now Zeref is king!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	47. Chapter 47: The Fall of a Prince

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"What are you all doing?!" Makarov's voice rang through the courtyard. "Get on your knees, and greet the new king!"_

 _All of the men in the courtyard were suddenly kneeling, and Lucy carefully lowered herself to her knees as well._

 _Zeref was overcome with an incredible sense of inadequacy as over a hundred voices chorused, "Long live the King!"_

Grandeeny stumbled out of the palace's doors, her blue hair falling from its extravagant bun. She fell to her knees when she saw the multitude of soldiers kneeling to Zeref, their voices crying out to his longevity in unison.

Her eyes found Laxus in the crowd, and her jaw clenched when she saw the soldiers that restrained him.

After all of their planning and hard work, this is what it had come to.

They had failed.

* * *

Gray clenched his jaw as Juvia threw herself in front of him, her arms spread to her sides as she blocked his path to the door, "Are you crazy? We must go now and say our last goodbyes to the King."

His wife anxiously shook her head, her eyes desperately pleading with him, "No. You can't go to the palace. You…you're are very sick right now!"

"What do you mean? I'm not sick."

"Yes you are! You're so deathly ill that you can't go to the funeral! You won't be able to attend when the new king is enthroned either! That way…that way, you can live."

Gray's brows furrowed as she desperately shoved her armor at him, "What…why would I die?"

Juvia stared at him pointedly, her lips pressed into a thin line, "Do you know what a new king does once he gets on the throne? He kills off all male siblings and nephews who will threaten his position."

The raven haired prince's eyes widened, "K-kill?"

"You need to stay as silent as a mouse if you want to live, Your Highness. You need to make the new king completely forget about us!"

He shoved her arms away when she held her armor out towards him again, "Why are you giving me your armor? You want me to wear my wife's armor to save my own life? I noticed that you tend to look down on your husband…"

A small smile appeared on her face, "Then…are you saying that we should die together?"

Gray let out a light scoff, folding his arms over his chest, "Are you crazy? Why would I die with you?"

Juvia's smile immediately fell and her gaze dropped to the floor.

The prince nervously cleared his throat, "Why…why should we die at all? Let's both…live. Life and death are matters of luck. We're married, so one of us shouldn't have to live without the other."

A massive smile broke out on Juvia's face, and she threw herself towards Gray with a happy cry of, "Your Highness!"

Gray didn't bother pushing his wife away as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. A year ago, he might have. But things had changed, and so had his feelings.

* * *

Lucy let out a small sigh as she saw Sting come to stand next to her in her peripherals. She'd been seated on the edge of one of the palace's porches, gazing fondly at one of the gardens that she hadn't seen in over a year.

The blonde prince was still dressed in the white ceremonial hanbok that he'd worn to the funeral, and he said nothing as he took a seat next to her.

"Your Highness…" Lucy tentatively began, "You were on the Crown Prince's side. Why did you lie to me like that? You did it on purpose, right? You…you were testing me, weren't you?"

Sting slowly nodded his head, "And in the end…you went to Natsu."

"You…you weren't planning on really killing the Fourth Prince, were you?"

His lips pressed into a thin line, "I wasn't lying when I said that I plan on becoming king. Nothing bad will come from getting rid of those who will only get in my way later."

Lucy shakily huffed out a breath, her eyes beginning to fill with angry tears as realization dawned on her, "You told me about your plans for the attack because you knew that I would tell Natsu. You wanted him to be ready for your rebellion so that he would be there and you would have the chance to kill him. You know how much I blame myself for Aquarius' death and you know what that whole situation did to me. Yet, you were still planning on using me to kill Natsu. You said you were doing this for my sake, but you're fooling yourself. You clearly know nothing about me if you thought I would be grateful for all that you've done." She shook her head, a small, bitter laugh escaping her lips, "You have changed, Your Highness. You're not the person I once knew."

Sting matched her spiteful tone, "What about you? Why did you hide the truth from me? I wanted you to tell me whether or not the King had died but you wouldn't no matter how many times I asked. Did you not worry that I would lose my life in the rebellion?"

"The King asked me to help the Crown Prince take his place on the throne. I couldn't go against that because it was what I wished for myself. Besides, Natsu promised that he wouldn't kill you."

"You…you pleaded for my life with Natsu?"

Lucy swallowed heavily, "No matter what you've done, I couldn't let you die. You were once the husband of my cousin, and you were one of the only people that helped me after I lost my memory. Even though you turned your back on me, I couldn't turn mine on you." She dropped her gaze to her lap, "But, now…I can't say that I have the same feelings for you as I did in the past. I'll be doing my best to avoid you from now on. So farewell, Your Highness. I hope that we never have to see one another again."

* * *

The guards let out various shouts as they chased Laxus through the forest, their swords held at the ready. The Third Prince was attempting to escape, but he'd only managed to kill one guard and steal his sword before the rest were charging at him. Seeing no other choice, he'd taken off into the forest, the guards hot on his heels the entire time.

Natsu and Sting had joined in the pursuit, their horses winding in and out of the trees as they tried to catch up to the guards.

Laxus slid to a halt as he came to the edge of the cliff, the ground suddenly giving way to a fifty-foot drop into the freezing river below.

He turned to the guards, kicking up dirt as he spun to kick one of them in the head. He stabbed one in the stomach before slashing one's throat, both of their bodies falling to the ground as they bled out.

* * *

Sting and Natsu watched on as Laxus fought against the guards, their jaws clenched. It was no surprise that their brother was taking the soldiers out so easily. Most of the princes had received training far more superior than what regular soldiers were put through.

Sting's gaze was cold as he took his bow from one of the guards, notching an arrow and pulling the string back. As he aimed at Laxus, the words that he had once said to Minerva began echoing in his mind.

' _The one who kills a traitor becomes a hero.'_

A hand was suddenly grasping his left wrist and pulling his arms down. His eyes slid over to Natsu, who hadn't taken his gaze off of their older brow as he stopped Sting from firing.

"Don't hunt him like he's an animal."

The two looked over to Loke as he suddenly appeared beside them, out of breath from his run through the forest. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Laxus battling against the soldiers.

The orange haired prince anxiously turned to Natsu, "I'll do it. I can convince him to come back peacefully. He may be a traitor, but he's still our brother."

"Don't," Natsu caught his younger brother's wrist as he tried to run to Laxus. "He's been envious of what was rightfully Zeref's since we were born. He won't ever stop trying to gain the throne. Do you really think that you can handle him until the very end?"

Before Sting or Loke could stop him, Natsu flew into the fray with a wordless shout, his sword clashing against his older brother's. The other guards all backed away as the two princes began to duel.

There was a brief pause in the fight after Natsu kicked Laxus in the chest, sending him stumbling back with a boot print on his black hanbok.

"Give up already, Laxus."

The Third Prince fixed his younger brother with a cruel glare as he ground out, "If you were in my position, would you give up so easily?" He raised his sword before charging towards Natsu with an angry shout.

The salmon haired prince blocked the attack before spinning to kick Laxus' sword out of his hand.

With no weapon, the Third Prince could do nothing as Natsu's sword buried itself in the center of his chest. After a moment, he slowly tore his gaze off of the sword that impaled him, his eyes slowly following the blade back to the person that wielded it. He let out a choked, sinister laugh as he saw Natsu's expression, a thin trail of blood spewing from his mouth and sliding down his chin. His younger brother's eyes were wide and filled with pain as he stared at where his sword had pierced his chest, looking as if he were surprised by his own actions.

The blonde prince's teeth were coated with blood as he cruelly smirked, his voice hoarse, "Maybe you're more like mother and me than I thought…It's a shame, Natsu…that I won't be around to see what type of man you'll become."

Laxus' body slide off of the sword, and fell over the cliff's edge.

"Brother!" Loke rushed forward, falling to his hands and knees as he looked over the edge. "Laxus…Laxus!"

Natsu's sword slipped from his hand, Laxus' blood smearing across the dirt as the blade clattered against the ground.

* * *

"No…that's not possible…that's not possible!"

Loke clenched his jaw in fury as he watched his mother fall into grief and denial after he'd told her of Laxus' death. Natsu had gone too far. Even if Laxus was a traitor, they were still brothers. Did their bond mean nothing to the salmon haired prince?

Grandeeny was in hysterics, tears streaking down her face, "This can't be happening! I'll find him! I'll go and find him myself! Laxus…he always comes when I call, Loke. He always comes!"

The orange haired prince pushed his mother back down as she attempted to get out of her bed, "Mother, you're not well."

The Queen clenched her jaw, her voice rising volume as her grief turned into anger, "I told him to stay away from him. I told Natsu to stay away! And he ended up taking my child!" She tightly grasped onto her son's forearms, "Loke…Loke, this can't be happening to me! This can't be happening!"

* * *

Lucy let out a small sigh as she caught sight of Natsu waiting for her on the shore of the lake, right where he said he would be. She'd heard about what happened with Laxus, and her heart had filed with worry and fear at the news. If history was correct, then she knew that Natsu would end up killing his brothers eventually. But nothing could have prepared her for when it actually happened. Was this the first step of him turning into the tyrant that Gwangjong was?

He didn't look at her as she took a seat next to him, his eyes instead staring numbly at the petals that floated on the water's surface.

"Your Highness…why did you ask to see me?"

He slowly looked over to her, the light of the sun reflecting in the tears that silently streamed down his cheeks. His voice was small as he started, "Lucy…If I came to you, I was afraid that you wouldn't forgive me for breaking my promise. But I knew that you would understand. You always do." He turned his gaze back to the water, barely managing to choke out, "I…I stabbed my older brother. He's dead…because of me."

Lucy didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and pull his upper body close when he began full on sobbing. In this moment, she didn't care about the fact that he was a prince and she was only a water maid. She wasn't even supposed to be in his proximity, but he needed her, and she wasn't going to let him suffer on his own.

Besides, the prince didn't seem to give a damn about their differences in standing either. He eagerly fell into her embrace, burying his face into the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Lucy swallowed heavily as she felt his tears smear across her skin, tightening her arms around him.

"You'll be alright, Your Highness. I know it."

* * *

 **AN**

 **These have been an exciting couple of chapters! While I'd like to say that stuff will calm down and we'll get a break from all this craziness, I can't make any promises ;)**

 **Thank you for reading! And thank you to those of you who followed, favorited, and reviewed!**


	48. Chapter 48: This Isn't A Dream

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Year 945. Zeref's second year of reign._

Lucy sighed to herself as she moved her brush across the parchment. Although she was now able to read and write the alphabet of this time, she wrote in the modern alphabet of Fiore. It'd been almost four years since she'd first woken up in Ishgar, and she had become so used to living here that she sometimes forgot where she came from. Writing her journal entries in the alphabet of her time made it easier to remember, and every time she looked over them she was reminded of the people that she had left behind in that time, specifically her parents. She missed them more than anything else, but she was still doing her best to live here.

She fully devoted herself to her duties, and the days slipped by with ease. After he'd been enthroned, Zeref had invited her to live and work in the palace again, and she had accepted his gracious offer without much thought. She concluded that all of the hell she'd faced in the past could be traced back to Grandeeny and Laxus, and now that they were gone she had hope that serving the royal family would be more peaceful. The Queen still lived in the palace, but with the loss of her son, she had closed herself off to everyone but Loke. She sometimes disappeared for days, either shutting herself in her room or leaving the palace only to aimlessly wonder back through its gates.

Lucy supposed Grandeeny was trying to escape all of the memories that the palace held. The Queen had lost her husband and son in the span of only a few hours, and all of the power that she once held had suddenly been torn out from under her.

The blonde didn't blame the Queen for trying to leave. She'd even thought about doing the same thing herself on a few ocassions. Zeref had given her Aquarius' former position, and she was reminded of the woman constantly. But her loyalty to Zeref and the rest of the princes kept her where she was, and she supposed that life in the palace was much better than it had been before. There was no conflict over the throne at present, and there hadn't been any since Laxus had fallen over the edge of the cliff.

Zeref had been wary of Gajeel at first, and had even ordered a group of soldiers to watch over him at all times for the first year of his reign. But because of his greed, the Ninth Prince was content with placing his loyalties in whoever brought him the most benefit, and it seemed he had decided Zeref was his best choice for the time being.

Lucy still kept an eye on him though, and she knew that she wasn't alone in her suspicions. But she supposed that he wouldn't be very successful even if he did try something. All of those who had opposed Zeref when he'd been Crown Prince seemed to disappear after he'd been enthroned, so Gajeel would be alone in his attempts.

Lucy paused in her writings when an excited Levy suddenly came running through the doors of her room with a cry of, "My lady!"

The blonde set down her brush with a sigh, though she had a small smile on her face as she looked to the small, blue haired girl, "I told you not to call me that anymore."

Levy set her lips in a playful pout, "It's become a habit so I can't fix it. And calling you Court Lady Lucy just feels weird."

Lucy let out a small laugh. Asking Zeref to allow Levy to work as a court lady had also made life in the palace much more enjoyable. Her vivacious former servant had eagerly agreed to leave Sting's estate for the chance to work with Lucy, and her devotion to helping the blonde hadn't lessened one bit over the years.

Levy's eyebrows furrowed as she caught sight of what Lucy had been writing, "I…I may not be able to read, but…none of those characters look evenly slightly familiar. Are those words?"

"Yeah, they are. You should really learn to read and write, Levy."

The blue haired court lady let out a light scoff, "I'm too old to be able to learn something like that. I've already memorized the characters for all of the teas and herbal medicines in the storeroom, so I'll be fine." A bright smile suddenly broke out on her face and she finally pulled her hands out from behind her back. She held out an orange, navy blue, and yellow silk pillow with small strings sewn to the ends, "Happy birthday."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked between the girl and the small, flat pillow that was being held out to her.

Levy huffed out a breath, slight annoyance flashing across her features before her bright smile returned full force, "Don't tell me that you forgot about your own birthday. I'm giving this to you because your knee still bothers you sometimes. You can tie this around it for support whenever it starts aching."

The blonde carefully took the small pillow into her hands, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she ran her fingers over the pink flowers that had been embroidered into the fabric, "Thank you, Levy. I'll use it whenever my knee hurts."

Levy clasped her hands in front of her, a smug and proud grin appearing on features.

"Still, the best gift is having you here at the palace."

"Well that's all thanks to you. Prince Sting emancipated me on your behalf."

Lucy's grin began to fade at the mention of the Eighth Prince.

Levy was slightly hesitant as she asked, "You know that he still feels the same way about you, right?"

The blonde clenched her jaw, ignoring her friend and instead picking up her brush to resume writing.

* * *

Sting scanned his eyes over the men that stood along the edges of the throne room. The group was composed of Zeref's royal advisors and the heads of Ishgar's most powerful families. Natsu was there as well, his hands clasped quietly in front of him as he stood next to his brother.

The throne itself was empty. It wasn't often that a meeting was held without the King, but Zeref was occupied with other matters. He'd asked Sting to relay his orders at the meeting in his place.

The blonde prince stepped out of line, raising his voice so that it carried to every man in the room, "The King wants to reconstruct the palace's forces. Therefore, all of the soldiers of the powerful families will join the palace's army. They'll take turns providing the support that the palace needs. This is a royal order that we must not delay to carry out."

There was immediate unrest amongst the men that were gathered, and they began murmuring amongst themselves.

Natsu looked over at them out of the corner of his eye, his hands clenching together. Zeref had been making more risky commands as of late, some of which were bound to turn some of his followers against him.

Zeref's illness was getting worse, and with it, his sense of reason.

* * *

Jellal closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he listened to the various sounds of the forest. Leaves rustled as a soft breeze blew past, and birds chirped as they flew from tree to tree.

He'd come to the forest to practice his music in a place where no one would be able to disturb him. The palace had grown loud and busy as of late, and it was rare to have a moment to himself. So he took in the peaceful atmosphere of the forest while he could, his bipa gently held in his hands.

The prince heard a small scuff in the dirt behind him, and when he turned, his eyes connected with a pair of chestnut colored orbs that he hadn't seen in over two years.

The top half of her scarlet hair had been twisted into a small bun at the crown of her head, held in place by four hairpins with large, pink and white flowers at their tips. The rest of her hair fell over her shoulders and down her back, her bangs hanging to frame her face.

She was dressed in a pure white hanbok with gold trim, the skirt of which was gathered in her hands as she carefully made her way over a few tree roots to get closer to him.

Jellal couldn't help the small, disbelieving laugh that escaped his lips as he quickly strung his bipa over his shoulders. He was used to seeing Erza look like a fierce warrior, but the woman before him looked more like a beautiful goddess.

"This…isn't a dream, is it?"

She softly shook her head once, and a gentle smile appeared on her face, something else that Jellal wasn't used to seeing.

"You…you won't disappear if I touch you?"

The scarlet haired woman tentatively took a small step closer to him, "All this time that we've been apart…I've been thinking about you. I'd been hoping…" her eyes dropped to the right side of his stomach, "that the wound you got from me wouldn't have healed yet. That way…you wouldn't have forgotten about me…"

They stared at each other in silence for moment before they both suddenly threw themselves at the other, their arms wrapping tightly one another.

Jellal buried his face in her hair, "I couldn't bring myself to go to you because I thought seeing me would make you sad."

"I was too afraid to go to you…because I thought that seeing you would make me sad…But here we are…and I couldn't be happier to be with you."

* * *

Levy eye's anxiously scanned the storeroom as she filled her bag with herbs. She couldn't let any of the other court ladies find out about what she was doing.

She clutched the bag in her hands, stopping short in her steps when she bumped into a hard chest upon on turning around. Her eyes widened and a quite gasp escaped her mouth when she looked up to see Gajeel smirking down at her.

The Ninth Prince let out a small chuckle, "Look at you, getting startled just because you saw me."

She nervously dropped her gaze to the floor and pulled the bag closer to her chest when his eyes focused on it.

He took a step closer, intimidatingly leaning over her small form, "Are you helping with the King's bath?"

Levy bent over in a small bow, her voice barely above a whisper, "Yes."

Gajeel's smirk widened, "Alright. It must be hard work." He reached into the folds of his hanbok, pulling out a small, green pouch and holding it out to her, the clanking of coins ringing through the air. "Here. Consider this your payment. Now, take good care of him."

The blue haired court lady's eyes moved between the prince and the pouch, "N-no thank you. I can't accept that."

He let out a short laugh, "Come on, now. You've done everything that I've asked of you. You have the right to accept it." He forcefully grabbed one of her wrists, shoving the pouch into her hand before ruffling her hair as he walked past.

Levy's shoulders tensed as he touched her.

She was terrified of what was to come, and it would all be her fault.

* * *

Levy stood quietly off to the side as Lucy went about tending to Zeref's bath, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.

The King himself was already halfway submerged in the spring, seated on one of the underwater ledges so that only his bare torso remained above water. The sores that littered his skin had only grown worse with time despite Lucy's treatments. Her mixtures seemed to stop working all at once, something that the neither the blonde nor the palace doctor could understand.

His red rimmed eyes exhaustedly followed the rose petals that drifted atop the water's surface, his voice hoarse as he muttered, "Lately…after I take a bath…I always feel so weary…"

Levy swallowed heavily, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"When I wake up from my sleep…I don't know whether it's today or yesterday…My memory's so fuzzy…"

"The doctor says that you need more sleep, Your Majesty," Lucy started softly. "I'll provide you with a new pillow and some tea to help you sleep better tonight."

Zeref sighed deep in his throat, his head falling back to rest against the edge of the spring and his eyes sliding shut.

"I'll leave Levy here with you if you need anything, Your Majesty." The blonde bowed to the King before turning to leave, giving Levy a soft smile before she disappeared through the doors.

The small court lady nervously bit her lip as she moved to grab the pouch that she'd filled with herbs from the storeroom, tying the strings through the hook on the end of a stick. She knelt down next to the spring, her heart pounding as she used the stick to dip the pouch into the water.

She nearly lost her grasp on it as she jumped when Zeref suddenly asked, "Are you adding more herbal medicines?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty. I think that the herbs we put in at the beginning have diluted by now."

Levy let out a quite breath of relief when his eyes fell shut once again. She'd lost count of how many times she had done this, but the fear that she felt never got any easier to deal with.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Now Levy is going to start playing a bigger part! And she's involved in shady business with Gajeel...told you guys stuff wasn't going to calm down ;)**

 **And yes, we got another time skip :) The time skips in Scarlet Heart Ryeo were one of the things that made the connection between the show and Fairy Tail in my mind. But the very first scene where I connected the two hasn't happened yet…It's coming up though, so you'll all be able to see the moment that I first got the idea to make a Fairy Tail ScarletHeartRyeo!AU**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	49. Chapter 49: Stargazing

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Jellal smiled proudly as he set the heavy gift down on the table in front of Lucy, his hands returning to rest in his lap, "Happy birthday. I saw this while I was in Onibus and I knew it was perfect for you."

Lucy gave him a small smile before she undid the latch on the small chest, her eyes widening a fraction when she caught sight of the various bottles inside.

"They were brought over from Pergrande by a merchant."

Natsu quirked a brow as he watched a smug grin spread his brother's face.

Lucy took the cork from one of the bottles and brought it up to her nose, smiling softly at the scent, "It's a rose fragrance. It's a precious mixture made from distilled rose petals. It'll be perfect for an incense pouch. I love it."

Natsu's hand clenched around his cup as he took a sip of his tea, his eyes trained on Lucy as she smiled happily at Jellal.

The blue haired prince immediately took notice of his brother's actions, and a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips, "Natsu didn't know what to get you. He's been bothering me about it for weeks, asking me what he should buy. But I guess he ended up coming back with nothing. What a disappointment. I was hoping he'd finally get you a ring."

The salmon haired prince choked on his tea, angrily glaring at his younger brother as he coughed to clear his throat.

He quickly composed himself when he caught sight of Lucy staring at him with wide eyes, a slight blush on her cheeks. He nervously let out a breath that sounded something like a mixture of a laugh and a scoff, his eyes wandering about the room, "I…Lucy's just a court lady. It's a gift to even have me, a prince, here at all. What more could she want?"

The blonde quickly cleared her throat, going back to riffling through the bottles in the chest that Jellal had given her, "Th-that's true. I'm only a court lady and I should be happy just to have been born, right?"

Jellal looked between the two with a smug grin. They were terrible at hiding their feelings for one another, so he couldn't resist having a little fun teasing them every now and then. Maybe one day they would finally get over themselves and get together. He knew he wasn't the only one that was waiting on that to happen.

* * *

Lucy smiled softly to herself as she flipped through the pages of the book that Loke had sent her.

The prince wasn't here to deliver it himself, he was off leading the army in their battle against Stella. But he still remembered her birthday, and he'd sent one of his youngest soldiers to give her the book. The poor teen, Romeo she thought she heard him say, had been scrambling around the palace in search of her all day, and he only managed to find her after Gildarts had given him directions. She'd already been getting ready for bed when he'd come nervously knocking, the book and a letter clutched tightly in his grasp.

The blonde had greeted him with a warm smile, serving him some tea and pastries while she wrote a letter for him to take back.

The book that Loke had gotten for her was on martial arts, and Lucy had a sneaking suspicion that it was the very same book that the orange haired prince had tried to give Gray on his birthday three years ago. She fought to restrain her laughter as she read the prince's letter so that she wouldn't wake the other servants that were sleeping in the quarters adjacent to hers. He'd written a heavily dramatized and embellished account of the day that they'd first become friends and she'd saved him from having his arm cut off. He said he gave her the book because, although she could definitely hold her own, he thought she could still use some training.

As she thoughtlessly flipped through the pages of the book, she let herself get lost in that memory and others from days long gone. Yukino came to mind, and the blonde found herself wishing that she was allowed to leave the palace so that she could go visit her cousin's grave.

The primary focus of her memories was the princes though, and Lucy thought over how much each of them had changed since she had first met them.

She supposed Natsu had changed the most out of all his brothers. He'd once threatened to kill her every time they encountered one another, and he'd nearly followed through with his threats on more than one occasion.

She didn't know what had made him change, but she was eternally grateful that he did.

Lucy was pulled out her thoughts when a noise akin to howling suddenly sounded from outside her window. Her brows furrowed for a moment, but as the noise continued and she realized what it was, she rolled her eyes with a small laugh.

It was just like Natsu to appear right when she was thinking of him.

* * *

Natsu's hand fell from where it had been cupping his mouth and his howling quickly died out as Lucy exited the building where her quarters were. He leaned against a pillar, giving her a snide grin and folding his arms over his chest in an attempt to look cool.

She quirked a brow as she approached, her expression otherwise blank, "Was it you who made those animal sounds just now?"

The salmon haired prince nodded, his smug grin still on his face, "Yep. I sounded so much like a real wolf that I was afraid you wouldn't know."

The blonde's lips quirked at the corners for a moment. She turned away from him to keep herself from laughing and her voice even, "You're not a wolf or a dog. It sounded like you were choking on a rice cake."

Natsu scoffed, looking slightly hurt, "What does it matter? It got you out here, didn't it?" He let out a sigh and held his hand out to her, "Let's go."

"What?"

"It's my present for you. I'll take you somewhere nice," he grinned softly at her. "So let's go."

A small smile spread across the blonde's own lips as she looked between his face and his hand, gently placing her palm on top of his. He slowly curled his fingers around hers, their eyes never breaking contact.

* * *

"I'm telling you, that's called a fixated star. And that's an anchor star," Natsu haughtily insisted, his finger pointing to the two stars in question.

"No, it's called the North Star. And that's not an anchor star. That's part of Cassiopeia," Lucy held firm. She knew everything one could know about the stars thanks to her mother. Stargazing had been their favorite past times when the blonde was little, and they'd continued on with the activity whenever Lucy came to visit.

The prince had dragged her to a hillside that rested on the edge of the palace's land, far away from anyone who would bother them. They'd settled amongst the tall grass, disturbing the fireflies that rested there. The small bugs flew through the air around them, their green lights flickering in the night.

Natsu scoffed, too stubborn to give up on his side of their banter, "Have you forgotten how much I know about astronomy? Gildarts was pretty much my only friend growing up and the guy reads the stars for a living."

"You learned wrong from the very beginning, Your Highness." Lucy let out a small laugh at the sour look that appeared on the prince's face. She turned her focus back to the night sky, pointing to one constellation in particular, "Like I said before, that's Cassiopeia. She was a Queen that bragged about her daughter, who she claimed was more beautiful than a sea fairy. They say that she's being punished by the sea gods. Doesn't it look like an upside down chair? They say that she's punished for half a day by being hung upside down in the sky."

She finally looked back to Natsu, and she was taken aback when she saw the wonder in his eyes, though he was staring at her instead of the stars.

His eyes widened a fraction when she turned to him and he quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks slightly tinted pink in embarrassment at having been caught staring. He cleared his throat and worked his jaw for a moment before softly beginning, "Long ago, when I was much younger…I'd gone to see my mother after not having visited her for a long time."

Lucy's lips pressed into a thin line. She hated hearing about how cruel Grandeeny had been to her own son, and she was sure that she wasn't going to be any different in this memory.

"She had Loke in her lap…She was telling him stories…That night, I wished on the stars. I wished for Loke to disappear. I wanted to be in his place," Natsu paused to take a deep breath, "Mother hid him from me for the rest of my visit, and for many visits after that. Perhaps she already knew what type of person I'd turn into…A person who would kill their own brother…"

They sat in silence for a moment before Lucy leaned over to lightly bump her shoulder against his, trying to lighten the mood by ignoring the last words he'd spoken, "People with younger siblings always say stuff like that. But you two are quite close now that you're older, right?"

The prince let out a small laugh, his head falling forward for a brief moment before he looked back to the blonde, "What are you doing to me, Lucy?"

"What?"

"Every time I talk to you, all of my burdens seem to become lighter. I don't know how I survived a year away from you."

Lucy stared at him in silence for a moment, only breaking out of her still state when he was suddenly leaning towards her. She brought her hand up in front of his mouth, her fingers pressing against his lips as she rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Didn't you say that you'd get my permission?"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand aside, smiling brightly at her as he excitedly asked, "Can I do it?"

She put her hand back over his mouth, pushing his head away, "No, you can't."

He cleared his throat, clasping his hands in his lap as his eyes began to wander.

They sat in silence for a moment before Lucy caught sight of him leaning towards her again in her peripherals. She pushed him away once more, her hand landing in the center of his face and smashing his nose. "You just said that you wouldn't and you were going to do it, weren't you?" she scolded.

"Fine, I won't do it. Okay?" His gaze dropped to his lap and he clasped his hands in front of himself once again as a childish pout formed on his lips, "At this rate, the King will marry you off as a second wife to some old, powerful man."

Lucy lightly scoffed, "That'll never happen. The King favors me very much. He would never send me away like that."

Natsu sighed through his nose, falling to lay back on the grass and bringing his hands to rest beneath his head, "You…you have a day off this week, right? Let's go to the prayer tower together."

"Why the prayer tower?"

"I have something I want to tell you. I think…I should tell you there." His head fell to the side, a hopeful expression on his face as he stared at her, "You'll come, won't you?"

A soft smile appeared on her face as she turned over her shoulder to look at him.

His eyes widened when her hands came to lightly rest on his chest and she leaned down to quickly press her lips to his. Lucy had never been the one to imitate the kiss before. It'd always been him in the past.

Her soft smile was still on her face as she pulled back, "Of course, Your Highness."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Wow...this whole chapter was pretty much Nalu moments...**

 **Also, today marks the one year anniversary of when the last episode of Scarlet Heart Ryeo aired! I can't believe it's already been a year...**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	50. Chapter 50: The Deranged King

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Sting's lips pressed into a thin line as he stood next to Zeref's bed. The King was shivering uncontrollably, and his hand desperately pulled his blankets tighter around himself. His eyes, which seemed to be constantly rimmed by either dark circles or irritated red skin as of late, were wildly wandering around the room, never completely focusing on anything.

"Sting…" Zeref breathed out, his voice hoarse, "Something…s-something is wrong with me…Lately, I c-cannot sleep at all…When I do s-sleep…I have nightmares…The summer sun is hot...So why am I s-so cold?"

The blonde prince only blankly stared back at him, his voice even and calm as he started, "Your Majesty, I believe the time has come. Why don't you abdicate the throne to me?"

The King slowly looked over to his brother, his form still shivering, "W-what?"

"If you abdicate to me…I'll help you live in comfort for the rest of your life. The throne is a burden. For everyone's sake, why don't you let that burden go?"

* * *

Natsu glanced between the King and his son as Gildarts escorted the young boy down the steps of the palace towards the palanquin that was waiting for him. His jaw clenched as he saw the fear in August's expression, his nephew's eyes pleading to his father. The boy was only ten, but the King was already calling upon him to fulfill his duties as a prince.

Zeref stood at the top of the steps, bent over and shivering uncontrollably as he gasped for breath. He was sending his only son away to be married, desperate to make more family connects to secure his spot on the throne after all Sting had said to him.

The palace astronomer was doing his best to comfort the terrified young boy, "Come along, Your Highness. It'll all be alright."

August suddenly stopped and turned to look over his shoulder at Zeref, tears silently streaming down his face, "Daddy…"

"Go!" the King desperately shouted. "You must go in order for us to survive and for this nation to survive!"

The young boy roughly shook his shoulders out of Gildarts' grasp, "I…I don't want to get married!"

"You dumb child! This is all to save your life!" Zeref ran down the steps, shoving his son towards the palanquin, "Go! Leave!"

Natsu took a step forward, ready to intervene. His brother was going too far.

Gildarts beat him to the chase, gently grasping August's shoulders and pulling him away from his deranged father, "Your Majesty, he's still a child. How can you send him away to get married? This isn't right."

Zeref desperately shook his head, "If he marries into Stella, then they'll send troops when I'm in danger!" His head was suddenly whipping to the side, his eyes wide and wandering as if looking for something, "Did anyone else hear that? I'm sure that I heard horses coming!"

Natsu clenched his jaw. His brother was delusional, and all he could do was watch as Zeref spiraled into insanity.

The King ripped his son out of Gildarts grasp, shoving him towards the palanquin again, "Go! Now! If you stay here, you might die!"

August's tears continued to stream down his face and he weakly struggled against Zeref, "Daddy! No!"

For a moment, Natsu stood completely still, memories of years past resurfacing in his mind as August's cries continued to ring throughout the courtyard. He'd cried for his mother in the same way when she'd abandoned him, sending him away to be a hostage to the Strauss family.

The salmon haired prince dove forward, grabbing August's hand pulling him away from Zeref. He shoved his nephew behind him, placing himself protectively between the boy and his father, "That's enough, Your Majesty. Please, stop this!"

August kept a tight grip on the prince's arm with both hands, burying his face in his uncle's sleeve and soaking the material with his tears.

Natsu fixed his brother with a glare, "You want to send him to Stella? He'll be nothing but a hostage if he's sent there. Let go of your fear and try to see reason!"

"What do you know of my fear?!" Zeref angrily shouted back. "Every night when I go to sleep, I fear that I won't wake up the next day! I fear that I'll be assassinated at any moment! I haven't slept well, not even once since I was enthroned. People that I once trusted are now asking me to abdicate! They want me to give up the throne…Natsu…I'll die at this rate! We'll all end up dead! There's no one left to protect us!"

"Your Majesty…" Natsu carefully started, doing his best to avoid further upsetting the deranged King, "I'll do it. We're brothers. You becoming King didn't change that fact. You watched after me when my face was injured. I'll return the favor. I'll protect you and the throne. I won't let anything happen to you or your family, I promise. So please, don't send August away."

* * *

Lucy nervously clasped her hands in front of her as she anxiously shifted her weight between the balls and heels of her feet.

Since she had the day off, she finally had the chance to wear whatever she wanted instead of the hanbok that she had to wear as a court lady. She'd chosen a simple hanbok with a white top and a skirt of the lightest blue, a thick blue ribbon cinching the top in at her waist. Levy had twisted the top half of her hair into a large bun at the crown of her head, and the rest was left loose to brush against her lower back. Lucy had asked the blue haired girl to use the hairpin that Natsu had given her, the one with the white peony and purple and red berry-like gems. It was the very first time she'd worn it since he'd given it to her three years ago given the strict dress code that she had to follow.

She bit her lip as she reached up to rest her fingertips on it. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She saw Natsu nearly every day. But he'd said that he had something important that he wanted to tell her this time, so maybe that was why her heart was racing in anticipation.

* * *

Natsu let out a deep sigh as he caught sight of Lucy waiting under the tree for him. He wanted to enjoy his time with her, but what had happened earlier still weighed heavily on his mind. In the end, he hadn't been able to persuade his brother. Zeref had shoved a bawling August into the palanquin, shutting him inside and ordering the guards to take him away. He wouldn't listen to Natsu and Gildarts' protests, too paranoid and fearful of his own downfall to be persuaded.

A soft smile appeared on Lucy's face as she caught sight of him, and she turned to greet him with a bow.

His eyes widened a bit when he saw the hairpin that stuck out of her bun.

The prince plastered a smile onto his own face, forcing his voice to sound jovial as he suddenly snatched her wrist and began dragging her towards the lake, "Let's go."

The blonde stumbled after him, "W-what? Where are we going?"

He smiled at her over his shoulder, not bothering to slow his steps, "I was late. I'm taking you to do something fun to make up for it."

* * *

Natsu lightly chuckled to himself when he saw how tightly Lucy's hands were gripping the sides of the small boat he'd thrown her into. Her eyes were on the water, staring at it like a lake monster was going to jump out of it at any second.

The prince was seated across from her, oars in hand as he rowed the small boat out into the middle of the lake. He was glad that her focus was off of him, giving him free range to stare at her as much as he wanted. She always looked beautiful, but seeing her wearing the hairpin that he'd given her only added to the thrill that he got whenever he saw her. Her golden hair seemed to be aglow in the sunlight, and the light, icy blue of her hanbok suited her perfectly.

A mischievous smirk spread across his lips and he quickly threw his weight to the side, rocking the boat. He boisterously snickered as she let out a small shriek, her hands gripping the edge of the boat even tighter.

He cleared his throat and went back to rowing when she fixed him with a glare, her lips set in an angry pout.

"Can't you go any faster? If we're going on a boat ride, then I want to be able to feel the breeze."

Natsu let out a small scoff, "Do you want to row, then?"

Lucy childishly stuck her tongue out at him, tentatively taking her hands off the sides of the boat and folding her arms under her breasts, "I was always curious…Is this your boat, Your Highness?"

His lips quirked in the smallest of smiles, "I bought it when I was a teen during a visit to Hargeon. I brought it back to the palace the next time I came. This lake was my escape. If I came here, I wouldn't have to worry about others thought of me. This boat is my favorite thing in the palace."

The blonde quirked a brow, "Strange…it's your favorite thing but I haven't seen you out in it before now."

The prince paused in his rowing, pulling the oars up to rest on the sides of the boat, "That's because I like it too much. If I do something that I like too much, I might not want to leave the palace. And before, when I was younger, I didn't want to stay here. Not one bit. So I didn't take it out on purpose."

His brows furrowed when he looked to see Lucy staring at him intently, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders, her focus falling to her lap, "I was just thinking about what it'd be like to turn away from something that you like." A small smile spread across her lips and she looked back to the prince, "I was also thinking about what a relief it is that you don't have to do that anymore."

He let out a sigh, "I'm so sorry, Lucy."

"For what?"

"The important thing that I wanted to tell you. I…I can't bring myself to say it right now. I just…I can't."

"Oh…well, that's okay, Your Highness." She reached across the space between them to gently rest her hand on his for a moment, "I'm happy with things the way they are now. So you can take your time."

* * *

Natsu sighed heavily to himself as he gazed at the stars, leaning heavily on the railing of the balcony of Gildarts' study.

The astronomer himself was standing next to him, their minds both occupied by the same thoughts.

"You don't have to feel guilty about happened to Prince August, Your Highness. If neither of us were able to persuade the King, then no one could have. There was nothing else we could have done."

The prince's hands tightened around the railing, "I'm sick of just turning my back on things like this. I'm sick of turning my back on the things I love just to protect the throne. Am I back to being a dog on a leash? Is it my destiny to be a dog that only obeys the King's commands? I'm sick of it all. Is there any way to cut this leash and be free?"

"Well," Gildarts started thoughtfully, "I suppose most people would simply fight back against their master and become the one who rules the house."

"Are you telling me to revolt?"

The astronomer ignored the question, turning his gaze back to the stars, "Thank you for protecting the King, Your Highness. He won't hold on to for long. Then, you will be free to do whatever your heart desires."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Some more Nalu! Also, Zeref's going insane...told you guys that stuff wasn't going to calm down!**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading!**


	51. Chapter 51: A Grim Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Loke's eyes crossed as he tried to look up at the brush Lucy was sweeping across his forehead.

He'd returned to the palace under an hour ago, giving his greetings to the King and the rest of his brothers before heading off in search of the blonde. Their reunion wasn't as glamorous as he'd envisioned, the court lady shoving him away after he'd thrown himself at her upon catching sight of her. She had a soft smile on her face though as he recounted heavily embellished versions of his many heroic acts whilst commanding the army.

About halfway through one of his epic stories, he noticed how intently the blonde was watching him, her eyes scrutinizing every detail of his face. He leaned to one side and she followed, her gaze still locked on him.

After he inquired about why she was staring at him in such way, his eyebrows suggestively wiggling the entire time, she scolded him about his poor skin condition. A short argument about the impracticality of skincare pastes on the battlefield ensued, neither one of them willing to give up on their side.

And that was how he ended up in his present situation, laying on top of one her office's tables whilst she applied a liquid mixture of unknown herbs over the paper-thin face mask that she had laid over his skin.

Jellal's eyebrows furrowed as he entered Lucy's study, failing to restrain a chuckle at his brother's current state. His small smile faded though as he sniffed the air, "It smells like roses. You didn't put in that rose oil that I gave you, did you?"

The blonde only continued to brush the mixture across Loke's skin, not even turning to look at the blue haired prince as she responded, "My expertise was being questioned, so why bother saving it? I put lots of it in. It'll make his skin very soft."

"He wields a sword every day and the only people he sees are soldiers. Why bother wasting such a precious thing on him?"

Loke's jaw clenched and he tried to sit up so he could pounce on his brother, angry with being insulted. But Lucy's hands were suddenly on both sides of his head, and she slammed him back onto the table, "Stay still."

* * *

"We've received an appeal from the head of Crocus, Your Majesty," Sting paused to leave time for Zeref to reply, but the King made no indication that he'd even heard his younger brother, his eyes tiredly resting on the table in front of him as he slouched in his throne. The blonde prince cleared his throat as he unrolled the appeal, glancing at Zeref one more time before reading, "'This is a request I had made twice to the late King Igneel. I believe that Prince Natsu should be thrown out of the palace. His older brother, Prince Laxus, was already disloyal to you, Your M-'"

"You can stop," Zeref quietly cut him off. "The point of that appeal…" he slowly turned his head to look at the blonde prince, "…is likely to get me to abdicate to you, Sting. That's why I don't need to hear anymore."

Sting lightly huffed out a breath, rolling up the scroll before looking to the King, "I believe that I've given you the wrong idea, Your Majesty. I merely wanted to help lighten the burden on you in any way that I could. I asked you to abdicate to me out of loyalty. Did I anger you?"

"No, you gave me an idea." A small smile appeared on Zeref's lips, "Just like you suggested, I'm going to share my burden with one of my brothers. I've taken your advice. I plan on abdicating to Natsu soon."

Sting's eyes widened and his mouth fell open a fraction.

"He's the eldest of the princes after me. I don't think that there is one among us brothers who is better suited than he is to rule. Don't you agree?"

The blonde prince forced a smile onto his face, "Yes...of course, Your Majesty."

* * *

Loke let out a sigh as he climbed the steps to the small house his mother was in. She hadn't been in the palace when he'd returned, so he'd had to ask around to find out where she'd wandered off to. A few of her servants pointed him towards a small house on the outskirts of Magnolia, one he'd never seen or even heard his mother speak of. But she apparently owned the property that it'd been built on, and it looked relatively new, maybe even only a year old.

A group of servants were standing on the porch of the building, and they moved to block the door as he ascended the stairs.

He came to a stop on the top step, quirking a brow, "Is my mother inside?"

The woman at the head of the group bowed to him, "Greetings, Your Highness. Her Majesty has asked us not to let anyone inside while she's praying."

"Well, I'm allowed. People say that she hasn't been at the palace for days. I'm worried. So step aside."

The group didn't move, "I apologize, Your Highness. We're under strict orders from the Queen."

The prince's gaze fell to the ground, and he caught sight of a pair of large, black boots resting next to his mother's own slippers near the door.

His jaw clenched. His mother wasn't here alone.

He easily shoved through the group of female servants, pushing them aside to get to the door.

Grandeeny's head turned to him as he threw the doors open and rushed inside. The prince stumbled to a stop though when he caught sight of the man who was seated across from his mother, his face now marred by a lightning-bolt shaped scar that hadn't been there the last time the orange haired prince had seen him.

Laxus smirked as he watched his younger brother's expression shift from shock to disbelief, relishing in the fact that he saw small traces of terror as well. He calmly took a sip of tea, his voice rough as he started, "You call yourself a general, but you don't look very stoic at all."

The Queen smiled brightly as she looked between her two sons, rising to her feet to grab onto Loke's arm and pull him towards the table. He let her drag him, still too shocked to do much of anything else.

The orange haired prince's eyes never left his older brother, "M-mother…what's going on?"

"I was planning on telling you. It's heaven's will that your brother lives! The heavens are finally on our side, Loke!"

He tore his arm out of his mother's grasp, angrily advancing towards Laxus, "Then why the hell did you pretend to be dead this entire time?! And how did you survive that fall?!"

The blonde quirked a brow, still calmly sipping his tea and sounding uninterested as he remarked, "I've been labeled as a traitor. I can't simply show up by myself and expect to live as I wish. I barely managed to survive. If Jiemma hadn't taken care of me, I would've died for sure."

"Loke works hard, and the King holds him in high favor," Grandeeny started. "I'm sure that if he asked, Zeref would return you to your previous position."

Laxus scoffed and rose to his feet as well, "'My previous position?' I was someone who spearheaded a rebellion because I wanted the throne. He'll kill me as soon as he finds out I'm alive."

"And what do expect me to do now that _I_ know?!" Loke shouted. "I can't take your side if you plan on revolting against the King again. Committing treason once is more than enough."

The older of the two princes chuckled, "What a stupid thing to say. A successful plot of treason isn't treason at all. I _will_ sit on the throne. I may lose once…but I never lose twice."

"I'm a loyal subject of the King," Loke ground out. "You may be my brother, but I won't stand idly and watch as you kill others because of your greed."

"The King has gone mad. A person like Zeref, or even any person that he chooses to abdicate to…do you really want to leave Ishgar in their hands? Think over it well, Loke. Is that really what you want?"

* * *

Natsu clenched his jaw as his eyes scanned over the palace guards. Zeref was growing more paranoid, and his fear had taken his rulings to new extremes.

"The King has forbidden anyone from leaving or entering the palace at night. It doesn't matter who it is. Arrest anyone who disobeys."

* * *

Loke took deep breaths as he stared up at the top of the large wall in front of him. After he'd finally escaped his mother's and Laxus' little 'family chat', he'd run through the night like a madman to get back to the palace and warn someone of the storm that was coming. His older brother wouldn't wait long to unleash hell on the palace.

But the palace guards wouldn't let him through the gates, no matter how much he threatened them. He wished that he'd brought his sword with him so he could teach them a lesson, but he'd left it in the palace.

So he was left with only one option. He would have to find a way over the walls that ran along the palace's perimeter.

* * *

"There's nowhere else he could've gone, Your Highness. This is the only room that was out of the guards' sights."

Natsu clenched his jaw as he came to a stop in front of the door to the room in question. Only a few moments ago, a group of guards had reported seeing a figure vault over the palace's perimeter wall before dashing towards the servants' quarters. Guards were stationed in every hallway of the building, and there was only one room that none of them would be able to see from their positions.

It was Lucy's. Whoever had snuck into the palace was in her room. And given the lateness of the hour, the blonde would certainly be in there as well.

The prince turned to the guards at his flanks, "Break down the door." He clenched his hand around his sword, ready to fly into the room and absolutely destroy anyone who dared to mess with Lucy.

He was taken aback when the blonde herself exited the room, carefully closing the door behind herself before taking a few steps towards him. She fixed him with a fierce stare, "What's going on here? You're not supposed to bring weapons into the palace, and you all have swords. As head court lady, it's my job to look after the palace and make sure the rules are being followed. So please leave."

Natsu swallowed heavily. This wasn't the same Lucy that he'd stargazed with and taken on the boat ride only days ago. This was the Lucy that'd courageously stood up to the King and refused to marry him, and the one that'd boldly sunk her teeth into the hand of the assassin who'd held a sword to her throat on the night of the exorcism ritual.

Her confident posture, stony expression, and cold gaze let the salmon haired prince know that whatever she had set her mind to, she was determined to follow it through. It was almost as if she was daring him to try and get through her.

Natsu was lucky that one of the other guards was brave enough to speak up.

"A man who jumped the palace wall was seen entering here. We must search your room."

The court lady turned her fierce gaze to the guard who'd spoken, "I was reading a book. I didn't see anything."

Natsu clenched his jaw, turning his gaze away from the blonde and to his guards. He gestured with his head for the guards to proceed with breaking down the door.

Lucy held out her arms, halting the soldiers in their steps, "Where do you think you're going? I'm the highest court lady in the palace. I serve the King directly. I can't just let any random man into my room."

"Move," Natsu firmly started. "I'm a prince, not any random man. I'll check myself."

The two guards retreated to their previous positions, and Natsu began to advance towards the door. His eyes widened when Lucy suddenly reaching to pull her hairpin from her bun, dropping her gaze from his as she held its sharp tip against her neck.

"Lucy-"

"I won't move aside," she persisted. "It's the room of an unmarried girl. Rather than go through that shame, I would rather die. If you insist on entering, get the King's permission and then return. There will be no exceptions," she made eye contact with the prince once again, "not for _anyone._ "

Natsu always knew that Lucy was incredibly brave. But he would never have expected her to go as far as threatening to take her own life. One wrong move and the pin would stab into her neck.

He clenched his jaw, "Are you absolutely certain that there's no one in your room?"

She held his gaze, "Yes, Your Highness." As if to emphasize her point, she let the pin slide across her neck, its sharp tip breaking the surface of her skin.

It was a tiny cut, only the span of one of his fingertips. But he couldn't tolerate to watch her do any more than that. The small cut was already more than he could handle.

He looked over his shoulder at the group of guards who stood behind him, "We'll search somewhere else."

The prince looked back to the blonde before he left, through his eyes conveying the message, ' _We'll talk later.'_

Only once Natsu and his guards left did she let out the breath she'd been holding, her hand falling back to her side.

The blonde rushed back into her room, desperate to get out of the hallway before her knees gave out on her.

She closed the door behind herself before finally collapsing to the floor, ignoring Loke's quiet cry of her name. She let out a tiny wince when she turned her head, the skin of her neck pulling at the cut she'd given herself. It was small, but it stung.

"Let me see," Loke kneeled down next to her, softly taking her chin in between his fingers and gently turning her head to the side. He took the pin from her grasp as well, lightly scoffing, "We're you really planning on stabbing yourself with this?"

"If they insisted on coming in, then what else could I do?"

"Why would you bother going to such lengths?" the orange haired prince scolded. "You can just let me get caught."

The blonde smacked one of his shoulders, "Why would you say such a thing? Who knows what would have happened to you if they'd caught you. I trust Prince Natsu...but the King's growing more paranoid, and he's so unpredictable as of late."

The prince swung his legs out from under him, spinning to lean against the wall with a sigh, "If it were anyone else, would you do the same thing?"

"What?"

"If it were any prince other than me, you still would've done the same thing, right?"

"Of course I would've." The blonde stood, pulling a pillow from her bed and propping it up against the frame of her bed before sinking to the floor and leaning against it.

"Lucy, if my brothers and I end up splitting apart and fighting each other…" Loke came to sit beside her, leaning back against her bed, "…whose side would you take?"

She looked over at him as she thought over the question, "Why would I have to take a side? I think I've always been more like the referee."

Loke let out a small chuckle, "I don't think there's any chance of us going back to the days where we would all hang out at Sting's estate. We've all changed. You're going to have to pick a side sooner or later."

Lucy closed her eyes, her head falling back to rest against the frame of the bed, "Even so…I don't think I'll be able to take anyone's side. I don't want anyone to get hurt. So I'm going to make sure no one does."

* * *

 **AN**

 **That's right! Laxus is alive! Hahaha...**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	52. Chapter 52: Fear For the Future

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Sting set down his brush as the doors to his study were pushed open, his brows furrowing when he caught sight of who entered, "Gajeel? What brings you here?" It was incredibly late, and far too dark for traveling.

The Ninth Prince smirked. It wasn't uncommon to find such an expression on his face, but something about it was different, almost as if he was eagerly anticipating something, "I've brought a guest who really wants to see you."

"A guest?"

Gajeel moved himself from in front of the doorframe, clearing a path for a hooded figure to enter the room.

Sting shot to his feet when the figure removed their hood, "L-Laxus?"

The man smirked, relishing in his younger brother's shock, "It's been a long time, Sting. I heard that you and Gajeel have been using a new court lady to put mercury in the King's bath." His smirked widened, a small chuckle escaping his lips, "I guess it really is the smart ones who turn out to be the scariest."

Sting clenched his jaw, "I suppose you came here because you have things you want to discuss with me?"

"Of course. Even if we were to talk all night, it wouldn't be enough time. And I have things I need to do before we can have our little chat. Someone in the palace already knows that I'm still alive, and I must make my move before it's too late."

* * *

The sun was just barely peaking over the mountains, its light beginning to pour over Magnolia.

Laxus sneered as he stared at the palace's gates. He was surrounded by over a hundred men, all of whom had pledged their lives to his cause.

He was taken back to two years ago, when he and Sting had revolted in an attempt to gain the throne.

But this time was different. This time, Makarov's army wasn't here to oppose him. This time, he would claim victory.

* * *

Lucy kept a watchful eye on Zeref as he sunk into his bath. The King's condition had been constantly worsening as of late, but he seemed to be especially ill this morning. He hadn't even bothered to take off his robe before exhaustedly lowering himself into the spring, and he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.

The blonde jumped when a shriek suddenly rang out through the air, the noise putting her on edge. The sound of things being throne and smashed sounded out as well, and the screaming grew in volume as more voices were added to the mix.

Already feeling unnerved, Lucy's head whipped to the side when she heard a hacking cough. Zeref had crawled out of the bath, and he was now on his hands and knees on the edge of the spring as he hacked.

"Your Majesty!" the blonde was quickly on her knees in front of him, her hands grasping onto his shoulders as his coughing attack persisted. Her eyes widened and her heart dropped when blood spurted from his mouth, the scarlet substance brutally splattering across the front of her hanbok, "Your Majesty!"

Men in all black suddenly rushed into the room, flying down the stairs and heading straight for her and the King. Two of them took hold of her arms, dragging her away from Zeref as he continued to cough up blood.

She fought like hell against them, throwing her body to the sides and kicking her legs through the air, "Let go of me! Let go!"

Zeref reached out for her, but he couldn't even bring himself to stand, much less fight off the two guards that had taken the blonde captive.

Lucy's struggling ceased when she caught sight of an armored Laxus entering the room, her knees suddenly feeling weak.

There was no way this was happening. Laxus was dead. Natsu had killed him two years ago. He'd been stabbed, his body falling over the edge of a cliff. There was no way he could have survived.

Yet here he was, his cold gaze fixated on the King.

He made his way down the stairs to the spring, Gajeel following behind him. He came to a stop directly in front of Zeref, crouching down to look directly into his eyes.

The King's eyes widened, "L-Laxus?"

The blond prince said nothing, his expression void of any emotion as he gently placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and pushed him backwards into the spring.

"Your Majesty!" Lucy cried out.

Laxus slid into the water immediately after, taking hold of the back of Zeref's neck as he resurfaced. The prince shoved the King's head back under water, his gaze cold as his brother struggled against him. But his efforts were fruitless. He was far too weak to fight back against someone as strong as Laxus.

Angry tears furiously streamed down Lucy's cheeks, her struggling resuming full force, "Don't! Please! Stop it! Please!"

A smirk spread across Laxus' lips as he watched his brother's limbs flail out of the water and through the air, ' _Zeref, you were destined to live your life floundering away like this, so it's fitting that you die the same way. If our father knew that you would turn out this way, you would never have been chosen to be king.'_

"Your Majesty!" Lucy sunk to her knees as Zeref's body stilled, her arms slipping from the grasp of the two guards as her drive to fight back was drained from her.

Zeref was dead.

"It looks like it's over," Laxus emerged from the spring, his face void of any emotion once again. He left Zeref's body behind, floating face down in the water, "I may lose once. But I never lose twice."

Tears silently streamed down Lucy's cheeks, her hands fisting in the skirt of her hanbok.

The two soldiers that stood nearest to the entrance of the room were suddenly kicked aside, and another was sent flying over the railing of the balcony. The new arrival spun to kick another in the head, clearing a path for himself.

Lucy looked towards the commotion as Natsu's face peered over the edge of the balcony, his eyes making contact with hers for a brief moment before they landed on the body that floated in the spring and the smirking man who stood on its edge. She watched as his shock turned to rage, a furious, wordless shout escaping him before he was flying down the stairs, his sword slashing at the soldiers that stood in his path.

She saw Laxus tighten his grip on his sword, preparing for his younger brother's attack. But as soon as the soldiers were out of his way, Natsu headed straight for the spring instead of advancing towards Laxus, his sword clattering to the ground as he went. He waded through the water, his face full of pain as he gently turned Zeref's body over and pulled him into his chest.

"Your Majesty," Natsu weakly coaxed, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Your Majesty…please wake up…"

Lucy continued to cry as well as she watched the display. She'd never heard Natsu sound so broken and weak, his voice cracking as he pleaded for his brother to open his eyes.

"Your Majesty…Zeref…Zeref, please…wake up…"

After a moment of sobbing, Natsu slowly and carefully pulled Zeref's body from the spring, gently lowering him down to rest on its edge. His expression filled with rage, his jaw clenching as his slid to Laxus when the blond prince began to speak.

"I didn't kill him. He was already addicted to poison and dying."

"What?" the salmon haired prince ground out, his hand slowly reaching for his sword that rested on the floor only a short distance away.

Laxus' smirk returned, "Lucy put mercury in the King's bath water."

Natsu's eyes slid to the blonde girl, finding that she looked just as shocked at the accusation as he felt.

Gajeel roughly fisted his hand in the collar of her hanbok, throwing her forward onto the floor, "The King didn't receive baths from anyone except you." He crouched down next to her, his hand returning to the front of her hanbok, "There's mercury in the bathwater. Care to explain how that happened?"

"I don't know anything about it," Lucy breathed out, her eyes never leaving Natsu's.

"I'll give you two choices," Laxus started, his smirk never fading as he glared coldly at his younger brother. "You can stay loyal to our dead brother and die with the girl…or you can accept me as your new king and save her." His smirk widened in anticipation, "Of course, Lucy's crime of poisoning the King will remain. If you ever show me any disloyalty, I won't hesitate to execute her for the crime of regicide."

Natsu threw himself towards his brother with a wordless shout, his expression filled with rage.

Their swords clashed together, and both held firm.

The salmon haired prince glowered at his brother, "Let Lucy go. Now!"

"Wolves are known to follow one female until death. I guess you really are an animal after all," Laxus' lips quirked at the edges. "Gajeel!"

Upon his brother's command, the Ninth Prince pulled out his sword, swinging it through the air and pressing it against Lucy's throat.

"Make a choice, Natsu. Is it Lucy…or is it the dead King?"

The blonde lowered her head and closed her eyes, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. She wouldn't look at Natsu and pressure him into choosing her. She knew how much Zeref meant to him, and she knew how much he loathed Laxus. She didn't know which option she preferred herself. One meant certain death, and the other meant living under the rule of a tyrant king who would undoubtedly make their lives hell.

Her eyes shot open when a sword clattered to the floor, and she watched on as Natsu fell to his knees before Laxus. His head hung low and his hands fisting in the material of his hanbok as he ground out, "Greetings to the new king, Your Majesty…Long...live...the King."

* * *

 _"Gildarts," Zeref started softly, his eyes trained on the night sky above them. "Queen Grandeeny told me I must be so happy that she miscarried. She thinks I'm glad. But I was actually really looking forward to having a new brother."_

 _"Don't be so bothered by it, Your Highness," the astronomer remarked, looking over at the Crown Prince. A four year old Natsu sat between them, his head tiredly resting on Zeref's arm as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "You see that dim star just beside the anchor star? That's the baby prince's visual binary star. That fetus wasn't meant to live long."_

 _The Crown Prince sighed heavily, "Rather than someone like me with such lowly in-laws…maybe it would've been better if that baby became Crown Prince. Any of the princes would be a better source of strength for our father than I am."_

 _"Don't say such things, Your Highness. I told you that you have the star of a king in the Heonwon constellation. But…"_

 _"What?" Zeref quickly glanced down at his little brother as the salmon haired boy let out a tiny snore before he curiously looked over at the astronomer. "Why can't you finish? What is it?"_

 _"Well, I read the heaven's for a living. I know about things that are to come. What if…what if you didn't have a long life, Your Highness?"_

 _Contrary to what Gildarts expected, the prince didn't seem bothered by the question. He simply shrugged before turning his gaze back to the stars, "It doesn't matter to me whether or not I have a long life. It's more important who I spend my last days with."_

 _"Zeref…" Natsu's small voice started._

 _The two men looked down to him as the young prince spoke, looking as if he was still half asleep._

 _"I would like to become a king, too…"_

 _Gildarts smiled at the boy, "Well of course, Prince Natsu. You were born under the star of a king as well."_

 _The salmon haired boy suddenly seemed fully awake, excitedly straightening himself out and latching onto Gildarts' arm, "Really? Then I'll be a king, too?" He placed his hands on his hips, his lips pursed as he looked between his older brother and the astronomer, "You should refer to me as 'Your Majesty' from now on."_

 _The two men burst into laughter, Zeref ruffling his little brother's hair, "Yes, Your Majesty."_

* * *

Laxus, Gajeel, and their men had left the spring. Natsu and Lucy still kneeled in place, both too numb to move as Gildarts, Jellal, and Loke came flying into the room.

The orange haired prince had been the one to notify Natsu of Laxus' survival, but his warning hadn't come early enough.

Zeref was dead, and Laxus had taken his place on the throne.

The three new arrivals quickly rushed to where the still body of the former King lay, a few lone tears falling from Jellal's eyes as he kneeled next to his deceased brother, "Zeref…I hope you can forget everything. Rest in peace…"

Lucy slowly lifted her head, briefly glancing towards the group that was gathered around Zeref before looking to Natsu. He was still crying, his gaze fixated on the blood that was splattered across the front of her hanbok. She shakily sucked in a breath, "All of this happened…because of me. I'm so sorry, Your Highness…So-"

Natsu cut her off, reaching across to snatch one of wrists and pull her into his chest. They fell apart in each other's arms, their grief over the loss of their King and their fear of the future consuming them.

* * *

 **AN**

 **A pretty crazy chapter!**

 **Someone asked about where Gray, Juvia, Erza, and Minerva have been, so I thought I'd provide a little clarification! Erza's back in her home town, but she'll be coming back to Magnolia eventually and we'll see plenty of her later, more towards the climax of the story. Minerva will be coming back into the story soon as well, and she'll be up to more evil stuff. And we'll find out about Gray and Juvia very very soon, like...literally in the next chapter :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	53. Chapter 53: A Crime They Didn't Commit

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Tenth Prince Gray's estate…_

They'd come in the night, tearing everything apart and smashing furniture before setting the entire estate ablaze. All of its residents were thrown into the center of its courtyard, soldiers holding swords to their throats as Laxus glared down at them.

"We've caught Lady Ur, Your Majesty," one of the soldiers informed the new King. "But her son and his wife are nowhere to be found."

The blonde man clenched his jaw, "We must find Gray. Go. Now!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

"Let me go! Let me go, you scoundrels!"

Sting's face was blank as he watched Yajima get dragged from the throne room, the old advisor begging to gain audience with the King before he was sent away. He didn't know what had been done to Zeref, and that Laxus was now the one who would sit in the throne.

Sting and Laxus still had use for one another, and the Third Prince had invited him to play a part in his rule. The Eighth Prince had accepted. Working alongside Laxus was just another step towards gaining the throne.

Laxus smirked from where he stood, enjoying the old man's pleading as he was forcefully dragged through the doors.

"Yajima will be exiled," Sting started. "We'll say that Lady Ur plotted treason and even killed the old advisor."

"Good work, little brother," Laxus chuckled, sounding amused by the events that had occurred. "Good work on what you did to Zeref. And using Lucy to get to Natsu was a brilliant idea." He was still smirking as he made his way over to Sting and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, "I'm glad that you're on my side."

Sting said nothing, his face still blank as he gave a simple nod of his head.

Laxus turned to the throne, his lips quirking at the edges in excitement. The seat that he and his mother had sought after for years was finally theirs.

He lowered himself into it, running his hands along the gold armrests as he remarked, "Gray and his wife have escaped. In order to make Lady Ur's revolt seem real to the people…you must catch Gray quickly. We must kill him."

Sting took a deep breath, his jaw clenching, "Don't worry. You have a dog talented in catching royal family members, don't you?"

Laxus' cruel grin grew, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he thought over what was to come in anticipation.

* * *

Laxus' gaze was cold as he stood atop one of the palace's balconies, watching the various members of Gray's estate get thrown into the middle of the palace's courtyard by his soldiers. He was focused on one woman in particular, Gray's mother, scoffing as he saw the tears that streamed down her face. She was pathetic.

"What about my son? Where is he? What have you done to him?" Ur desperately cried, latching onto one of the soldiers arms, "Please, let my Gray live!"

The new King raised his hand, giving his command.

The courtyard was filled with screams as Gray's family members were all slaughtered one by one, their blood spilling onto the cobblestone beneath them.

"I knew a day like this would come," Grandeeny started from her place beside her son, her eyes trained on the dead bodies that rested beneath them, completely unfazed by the sight. A smile spread across her lips, "You've been a perfect child ever since you were born. I foresaw that you would bring me great glory." She turned her focus to her son, "We need to kill Gray as quickly as possible. Then we'll take care of the other princes. That's the only way to finally make this palace stable. Also-"

"I'll take of the politics, mother," Laxus cut her off. "Ishgar is ours now. You should live enjoying the fine and beautiful things life has to offer." He focused on something behind her, his smirk widening, "Ah…you're here, Natsu."

The salmon haired prince slowly approached his mother and brother, his entire frame tense.

Grandeeny turned to face him angrily, "Have some manners in front of the King! You should greet him with a bow!"

"Oh, don't be so heartless mother. I'm alive thanks to him."

The Queen slowly turned back to Laxus, the confusion her face mirroring the expression on Natsu's own.

The new King's grin faded, his gaze cold as he looked to his younger brother, "You held back when you stabbed me. In that last moment, you let consideration get in the way."

Natsu's lips pulled back in small snarl as shortened the distance between them, "If you feel regretful about that moment, then I can certainly slaughter you for good right now if you'd like."

Laxus' smirk returned, ignoring his brother's threat and choosing to move on with why he had called Natsu here in the first place, "Lady Ur was trying to get Gray on the throne."

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw at the obvious lie. He'd only met Gray's mother twice, but he knew she wasn't the type of person to commit treason. And Gray had never held a desire to be King. Natsu would even go as far as saying that his brother didn't even really like being a prince.

"She was put to death," Laxus continued, his eyes briefly glancing towards the bloodied bodies beneath them before focusing back on Natsu, "Go find Gray. If you do find him, kill him on the spot."

"Was killing Zeref not enough for you?!" the salmon haired prince shouted at his brother, his fist clenching furiously at his sides. "I'm not killing Gray. I won't go find him for you either."

Laxus' quirked a brow, letting out a short laugh, "You're not going to? You have to. That way, Jellal, Gildarts, and Makarov…Even Lucy…All of those who you consider to be on your side…will stay alive. If not...it'll soon be their bodies lying blood splattered in the courtyard instead of Gray's relatives."

Natsu's jaw clenched at the threat, his lips quivering in his fury.

"You're already a dog that goes after your siblings anyways. Would killing just one more hurt that much?"

* * *

Gildarts and Makarov paused in their banter as Natsu entered the astronomer's study, their eyes turning him as he threw himself into one of the chairs at the table.

His eyes were downcast, his hoarse voice barely above a whisper, "Lady Ur and her family have been executed."

At the news, Gildarts' eyes widened and Makarov sorrowfully bowed his head.

"The King has ordered me to find Gray and his wife."

The Grand General lifted his head at the mention of his granddaughter, "He…he wouldn't kill them, would he?"

The way that Natsu's fists clenched was answer enough for the old man.

Makarov huffed out a breath, turning his glare to the salmon haired prince, "Listen to me carefully, Your Highness. I had an unbreakable bond with King Igneel because of our time spent together on the battlefield as we fought to found Ishgar, so I've been loyal to the royal family up until now. But this isn't right. If my granddaughter dies because she gets caught up in a fight between the princes…I won't stand idly by."

* * *

"Levy…you and I are the only ones who attend to the King," Lucy tentatively started, her gaze resting on the blue haired court lady that sat next to her on her bed. But the small girl wouldn't meet her gaze, her focus instead on her lap.

"Whether it was getting the bath water or preparing the herbal medicine…no one else touched it. So how could there be mercury in the water?"

"It wasn't me," Levy shakily started, finally raising her head and making eye contact with the blonde. "I'm telling the truth."

Lucy misinterpreted the girl's obvious panic, "Did you think that I would suspect you of doing such a thing? I would never, Levy." She reached to take one of her friend's hands into her own, "You need to be careful, too. Prince Laxus has always been a scary person."

"I'm terrified of what's to come, Lady Lucy," Levy whispered shakily. "The new King's already behaving like a tyrant. Prince Gray's family has been accused of treason. His mother and relatives…they've all been executed."

Lucy's eyes widened, "W-what?" She sucked in a breath, tightening her grasp on her friend's hand, "Levy, what about the prince? What happened to him?!"

Her mind went back to a conversation she'd with Natsu earlier that day, her heart dropping when realization dawned on her.

" _I'll be leaving the palace for a while."_

 _"Where are you going?"_

 _"The King wants me to catch a criminal who committed treason."_

She slowly sucked in a breath, starting to feel numb, "The person that Prince Natsu needs to catch..." Her breaths quickened, memories of a vision that had assaulted her mind years ago resurfacing.

 _Gray, kneeling the dirt, his eyes full of fear and betrayal as his quivering, blood covered hands rose up to shakily grasp the arrow that protruded from his chest._

 _Juvia laid unmoving on the ground next to him, her skin draining of color fast as she bled out from the slash across her torso._

 _A sword was suddenly driven through the raven haired prince's stomach, and he fell next to his wife as it was withdrawn, his body soon going limp._

 _Natsu stood over them, laughing as he stared at his blood splattered sword._

* * *

Lucy stared numbly at the ground as she walked through the empty halls of the palace. Natsu had been sent to kill Gray. If her vision was right, then he _would_ kill Gray.

She nearly let out a shriek when an arm suddenly wound around her waist from behind, but another was soon pressing against her mouth. She was pulled back against a hard chest, dragged from the center of the hallway and into a small, secluded storeroom.

As soon as the door was kicked closed she was set free, and she whipped around to yell at whoever dared to attack the head court lady of the palace.

She stopped short though, her voice catching in her throat and her eyes widening at the two faces that greeted her. She hadn't seen either of them for over three years...and she felt like crying when she saw that they were okay.

Juvia gave her a small smile, and Gray's voice was light as he simply greeted, "Hey, Lucy."

* * *

Lucy shoved the couple into her room, uncaring of how roughly she was treated them. Her eyes scanned the hallway outside her quarters one last before she shut the doors, turning the knob to lock them.

Gray exhaustedly took a seat on her bed, his head falling into his hands as Juvia went about locking the room's windows.

"The new King won't be able to figure out we're hiding here," the blue haired girl breathed out, sounding like she was trying to reassure herself more than anyone else. She turned her gaze to Lucy, "Prince Gray says that we can trust you. But don't get any other ideas. You're dead if you do."

"Juvia, stop it," the raven haired prince looked to his wife tiredly before turning his gaze to the blonde court lady as well, "Don't worry too much, Lucy. We've arranged a boat, so we'll only be here until it leaves."

She took an eager step forward, "Where will you go?"

"We'll-"

"That's enough," Juvia cut him off. "It's already bad enough that she knows we're here. It could be dangerous if we give her any more information."

"You don't need to worry," the blonde assured. "I won't tell anyone that you're here. I'll be very careful."

"But, maybe we should tell someone," Gray started thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it be better to get help from my brothers? I'm sure that Sting would help."

Lucy clenched her jaw at the mention of the Eighth Prince. Gray hadn't been to the palace in three years, so he had no knowledge of what kind of person Sting had turned into.

"And what about Jellal and Loke? There's no way that they wouldn't help me. I'm positive that even Natsu would-"

"No!" Lucy cut him off. "We…we can't tell Natsu," she stated sadly, hating the fact that she couldn't trust the salmon haired prince at the moment. "He's…he's currently looking for the two of you. The King's manipulating him, so we can't trust him this time around."

Juvia sighed, plopping next to her husband on the bed, "We can't tell _anyone_. If we make one wrong move…then it's all over."

They sat in silence for a moment, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Gray and Juvia's lives were the balance. A single screw up and they would be dead.

"Lucy…" Gray tentatively started. "Do you…do you know what happened to my mother?"

The blonde swallowed heavily, knowing the impact that the truth would have on the prince. "I…I'm not sure," she quietly lied.

He let out a disappointed sigh, his hands fisting the sheets of her bed, "I'm bothered by the fact that I couldn't bring her with me. I hope she managed to get away…"

Juvia gently took one of his hands between her own to comfort him, her eyes sharing a glance with Lucy for the briefest of moments. Juvia knew what had happened to Gray's mother and the rest of his family. She may not have seen it herself, but Lucy could tell that the blue haired girl knew the truth.

They'd been slaughtered for a crime that they didn't even commit. And if they weren't careful, Gray and Juvia would face the same fate.

* * *

 **AN**

 **So Gray and Juvia have been dragged into this mess! Stuff's gonna get intense these next few chapters! ;)**

 **Thank you for reading! And thank you to all those who followed, favorited, and reviewed!**


	54. Chapter 54: Submit In Order To Protect

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Erza set her jaw firm as she looked up at the new King, pompously lounging in his new throne. She may have held an unparalleled hated for King Igneel, but she would admit that he held far more majesty and imperial prowess than Laxus could ever dream of possessing. And she had never even laid eyes on Zeref, but from what she'd heard, he carried himself with all the nobility and grace that befit the title of King. She hadn't even been in the throne room for a minute, but she could already tell that Laxus was greatly lacking when compared to his two predecessors.

She didn't fear Laxus himself in the least. She knew that there wasn't much else behind all that false courage and bravery. He was simply a self-obsessed man who slaughtered others to get what he wanted, and he cared for no one.

It was his power that truly set her nerves on edge. He held far more control than any other person in Ishgar, and he'd clearly demonstrated that he was fully capable of wielding it by what he'd done to Gray's home and family.

But she swallowed down her uneasiness and looked him straight in the eye. Her people were counting on her, and she would rather die before disappointing them.

She took a deep breath before beginning her long list of requests, "Please allow the people of later Bosco to access the southern territories. Allow them to farm the land for three years without paying taxes so they can build up their monetary savings. And please emancipate those who were taken forcefully as slaves. They were all law abiding citizens in Bosco, so return them to their former status."

Laxus raised a brow, intrigued by the fact that she had the gall to make such requests, "You were someone who tried to kill the King in the past. What makes you think that I would trust you and make a deal?"

Erza clenched her jaw at the mention of her past deeds. She didn't regret her decision to make an attempt on King Igneel's life, but every time she thought back on what had happened she was reminded of what she had done to Jellal. When thinking about it logically, she supposed it was really his fault. He'd been the one to jump in front of her as she charged. But she'd held the blade in her hand as it plunged through his stomach, and the feeling of his blood running down her hand was one she would never forget.

The scarlet haired woman cleared her mind of the past and focused on guaranteeing her people's futures, "My people are starving to death, Your Majesty. Getting revenge no longer means anything to me. If you guarantee their survival, the people of later Bosco will surely accept you as their king." She bowed her head as she finished her request, partially to show respect to his position and partially because she didn't want to look at him as he gave his answer.

Laxus quietly scoffed, "No matter how I look at it, I feel like I would be losing out."

Erza slowly raised her gaze back up to the King, her brows furrowing a fraction when she saw the look of anticipation on his face.

A wicked smirk spread across his features as he leaned forward in his throne, "I have an offer to make you. One that I think would benefit us both."

* * *

"I heard that the Fourth Prince is out to catch his brother. I guess he really is nothing more than the King's dog!"

Natsu clenched his hand around the jug that he was pouring soju from as he heard those words, not realizing that the cup was overflowing until Jellal stole the jug from his hands. The two princes were dressed in commoner's clothes, so the rambling drunkard had no clue that the man he spoke of sat only a few feet away.

Jellal kept an eye on his brother as the conversation continued. It pained him to hear people still talk about Natsu in this way. He thought that after the rain ritual and everything else his brother had done for the nation, people's opinions of him would change. But he supposed that the people really knew nothing of what went on the palace and the difficulties of running a nation, including the deception and all the sacrifices that had to be made. They only heard of the aftermath.

He was painfully aware of how much the people's treatment hurt Natsu, and he expected his brother to lunge at the man at any second. But the salmon haired prince didn't even flinch as they continued to speak on the topic, his onyx eyes miserably trained on his cup of soju.

"Be quiet! Watch what you say, or you'll get yourself in trouble!" the man's companion slurred out, clearly more sober than his friend.

"I mean, it makes no sense that Prince Gray would plot treason! He's always been so playful and carefree! This whole accusation is probably made up! The Fourth Prin-"

He was cut off as his companion shoved a chunk of bread into his mouth to shut him up.

Jellal leaned across the table towards his brother, lowering his voice to a whisper, "I found the boat. It leaves in five days."

Natsu seemed to be pulled out of his slump, straightening himself out and leaning in as well, "Where's it headed?"

"That's the thing…" Jellal sighed, "There are four different boats leaving at the same time on the same day. I don't know which one they'll take." He bit his lip, his eyes dropping to the table for a moment before he looked back up to his brother, "Natsu…you…you're not really going to catch Gray and kill him, are you?"

A small, bitter smile quirked the edges of the salmon haired prince's lips, "So, you don't trust me either."

"It's not you that I don't trust. It's Laxus," Jellal pressed, barely managing to keep his voice from becoming louder with his anger. "A person who manipulates people by using their weaknesses against them doesn't belong on the throne. Our futures look very bleak. If he manages to kill Gray, he'll come after me next. And then I'm sure that you and Loke will follow, even if you're his full blood brothers. And who has any idea as to what role Sting and Gajeel play in all this. I don't have any idea as to whether or not they'll be slaughtered along with the rest of us or if they'll be the ones doing the slaughtering."

"Just worry about Gray for now, Jellal. Find out if he's reached out to anyone."

The blue haired prince gave a soft nod, emptying his cup of soju before he continued, "Who could have guessed that Laxus would end up coming back alive? He says its heaven's will, but I think it's just because he's so damn stubborn and refused to die…" His eyes focused on something behind the salmon haired prince, his expression immediately lightening up as a scarlet haired woman approached their table.

Erza gave him a small smile before turning to bow to Natsu, "It's been a long time, Your Highness."

He did his best to smile back, only managing to give her an awkward quirk of his lips due to his current mood and the gravity of the topic they'd just been discussing, "Yeah, it has. Jellal told me that you'd returned. Lucy will be happy to see you."

"I'll make sure to stop by the palace and see her soon. I'll be going back to the gyobang, so I'll be in Magnolia for a while."

Jellal looked over at her in surprise, "You're going back to the gyobang? Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"I can't always rely on you, Your Highness. I've already been trained to be a gisaeng, so why not use my talents so that I can provide for myself? I'll only be teaching new gisaengs how to dance with their swords, so you don't have worry too much."

The blue haired prince downed another cup of soju, slamming the empty cup back down on the table with a sour pout on his lips. Gyobangs were places that housed the lowest classes in Ishgar, and they were often centers of prostitution and slavery. Magnolia's own gyobang was one of the better ones, and gisaengs were among the most respected of those from gyobangs. But Jellal knew that Erza deserved so much more than that.

* * *

Sting quietly closed the doors to his study behind him as he exited the building, halting in his steps when he caught sight of Natsu waiting for him on the porch upon turning around.

His salmon haired brother had his hands clasped behind him, his expression void of any emotion as he asked, "Where are you headed? It's awfully late to be going somewhere."

Sting scoffed, "Why are you so interested in me all of the sudden?"

"Maybe it's because I believe that you're the one who's behind all of this." Natsu pushed himself off of the pillar he'd been leaning against, coming to stand directly in front of his brother, "Zeref had been addicted to mercury for quite some time before he died. Gajeel seemed to be the most likely subject, but it was too well thought out and detailed. It doesn't match Gajeel's personality. But if I were to pin the blame on you…"

The blond prince said nothing, his face blank as he simply stared at Natsu in silence.

"It's also strange that Laxus has left you alone since he's been enthroned, don't you think?" the salmon haired prince continued, his eyes carefully analyzing every feature of his brother's face. "Laxus isn't one to forget people who wronged him in the past. But even though you blatantly betrayed him two years ago, you're still standing. He's already started coming after the rest of us. He even killed every member of Gray's family. And they were one of Ishgar's most power families. It was you who gave him the idea to take them out, wasn't it?"

"You've always been suspicious of me, Natsu. But let us not forget that it was _me_ who warned Zeref about Laxus' rebellion two years ago. _I_ was the one who saved the palace."

Natsu took a step closer, his jaw clenched, "Then why did you poison Zeref?"

"What about you, Natsu?" Sting shot back, his voice full of spite. "Aren't you the one who just pledged himself to hunting down and killing Gray?"

The salmon haired prince's drive to continue the argument deflated at that statement. He still hated himself for agreeing to find Gray. There was so much more to the situation than just him obeying the King's command, but his task was slowly killing him inside, and he couldn't help but spiral back into his misery whenever he was reminded of it.

"We're both struggling to survive," Sting continued. "That's the life of a prince who does not become King. We must submit in order to protect what we hold dear."

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but feel unnerved as she went about preparing tea for the new King. He was lounging on his throne in a way that showed no respect for his position, a brow curiously quirked as his eyes followed her every move.

"Why did you put mercury in Zeref's bathwater?"

Lucy kept her gaze firmly connected with his, her voice even, "I did no such thing."

Laxus let out a short laugh, a smirk beginning to appear on his features, "I wonder…would you say the same thing after being tortured?"

"If so," Lucy steadfastly continued, pushing past his threat, "I would simply say that you told me to do it, Your Majesty. I would say that you ordered me to do it because you envied the throne."

The King chuckled to himself, "You really are something, aren't you? I supposed you've been this way for a while now, though. It's amusing."

Lucy pressed her lips into a thin line. She wanted to scream back at him and put him in place more than anything, but he was the King and doing so would surely get her killed. She supposed dying because she stood up to Laxus wouldn't be the worst way to go, but she had people relying on her. She couldn't abandon Gray and Juvia and leave them to die just because she was sick of dealing with a tyrant King. And she couldn't do that Natsu either.

"I'll definitely be keeping you by my side for a long time, Lucy," Laxus continued, a smirk still on his face. "You're the best bait I can use to control my brothers."

"Then why don't you tell me who really put mercury in the bathwater, Your Majesty?"

The King raised a brow, "You think that I know who did it?"

"Telling me has no consequence. As soon as you say that I committed regicide, I'm dead. So I would like to know…who did it?"

Laxus didn't have a chance to reply. A voice from outside the throne room was suddenly calling out, "Your Majesty, Prince Sting has come to see you!"

The blonde King slid his gaze back to the court lady, clearly amused by the situation, "Well, would you look at that. He turned up just when I was about to say his name."

Lucy's eyes were wide as she looked to Sting as he entered. He'd been the one to poison Zeref, and subsequently the one who allowed Laxus to take his place on the throne. He was the one to blame for the hell that was come.

How he had changed so much since she had first met him?

* * *

Lucy quietly followed behind Sting as he exited the throne room, her tray of teas clutched in her hands. He and the King hadn't paid much attention to her as they'd discussed their business, so she assumed that he wouldn't acknowledge her as they left. It wasn't like she was following behind him anyways, they just happened to be going in the same direction.

But he turned to her just after they'd gone down the steps leading into the courtyard, "I heard that you witnessed what happened to Zeref. It must've been pretty shocking."

Lucy pressed her lips into a thin line, her gaze firmly trained on the tray in her hands, "He was like an older brother to me. The person who caused him to die in such a tragic way…" She looked up at the prince, "…you wouldn't happen to be connected to all of it, would you?"

She didn't want to believe that it was him. She didn't want to believe that he would have fallen as low as killing his own brother. But she had to know if it truly was him. She wanted to hear him say it himself.

Sting regarded her in silence for a moment, his face unreadable. He took a deep breath before he firmly stated, "I had nothing to do with it."

He said nothing else, only giving her one last stare before turning and disappearing into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Lucy sighed to herself as she ambled back to her room after putting away the ingredients and materials she had used to make Laxus' tea. She'd been on edge all day because of the situation with Gray and Juvia, and finding out that Sting was the one behind the mercury in the bathwater had further drained her of her drive. She wanted nothing more than to get back to her room, make sure that the couple she was sheltering was okay, and then bundle up in a blanket and let her exhaustion pull her into sleep.

Her plans were put on hold though when she saw Natsu waiting outside the front of the servants' quarters. She almost wanted to ignore him and walk right past, too tired to deal with anymore of the royal family. Plus, he was after the couple that she was hiding, and she found it hard to lie to Natsu.

The salmon haired prince didn't give her a chance though, immediately perking up and calling her name when he caught sight of her.

Lucy took a deep breath to gear herself up for the unavoidable conversation, making her way closer to him and bowing in respect. She straightened herself out, looking up at Natsu again and catching sight of the same sour expression that he always had on his face after she bowed to him. He didn't seem to like the fact that she had to lower herself in front of him, but there was nothing neither he nor the blonde could do about it. If anyone were to see her greet the prince without a bow, she could be severely punished and possibly thrown out of the palace.

"I heard that Laxus called you in, so I was worried that something might've happened," Natsu tentatively started, his eyes scanning over her form to make sure she was okay. "I've been waiting out here ever since I heard."

Lucy gave him a soft, reassuring smile, "I'll be fine, Your Highness. It doesn't seem like he intends on killing me or kicking me out."

"No, but he plans on using you as leverage against me."

The blonde dropped her gaze to the ground. Their current situation was genuinely screwed up.

It was Natsu's turn to smile reassuringly, his voice soft, "It'll be okay though. As long as I do what Laxus says, you'll be safe. I'm willing to do that for you."

"Your Highness…" Lucy tentatively started, her gaze still fixed on the ground, "…the person you said you were looking for…It's Prince Gray, isn't it?"

His soft smile slowly faded, his face turning grim, "Yeah…the King wants me to find him and kill him. But…I've decided that I'm going to do whatever I can to help him escape."

"Really?"

A fraction of Natsu's small smile returned, and he nodded his head softly, "I'll do whatever I can to find him. Don't worry."

She wanted to tell him that she'd already found Gray, and that the prince was hiding in her room. But she couldn't get the words to leave her mouth, her voice getting caught in her throat as the image of him stabbing his sword through Gray's stomach resurfaced in her mind. It was just a vision, but the chilling sensation that surged through her veins whenever she thought about it seemed too vivid and real to simply be an image that her mind conjured up on its own. Would telling him result in her vision becoming reality?

She wanted to tell him more than anything. But she couldn't…So she didn't.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	55. Chapter 55: For All Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Excuse me, do you know where Court Lady Lucy is?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I don't."

Loke sighed irritably to himself as the lower court lady bowed to him before continuing down the hallway. Did Lucy decide to just drop off the face of the planet out of nowhere? None of the court ladies that he'd talked to thus far knew where she was, and it seemed like they hadn't even seen her this morning, something that caught his attention because Lucy was always the first to be up and about.

Another court lady brushed past him, a tray full of teas and pastries balanced precariously in her hands.

"Hey, you there," the prince called out, "Do you know where Court Lady Lucy is?"

The black haired servant stopped short in her steps, her shoulders tensing at his voice. She didn't even turn to face him as she anxiously shook her head no.

Loke lightly scoffed in disbelief, "Don't you have any manners? You're supposed to look at someone when they're speaking to you."

The court lady timidly turned to face him, her head still bowed as she quietly breathed out, "Ju-...M-m-my apologies, Your Highness." She hurriedly turned back around, a teacup slipping from her tray in her rush.

Loke's eyes widened when her hand shot out with incredible speed, snatching the teacup from the air before it could hit the ground while still managing to balance the tray on her other hand.

There was only one person he knew that had reflexes that quick.

"J-Juvia?"

* * *

Loke's jaw was clenched as he watched Juvia cross off various points on the map of the palace. They were all the exits that would be guarded by soldiers, and they were therefore eliminated from the list of Gray and Juvia's possible escape routes.

After he'd recognized the ill-mannered court lady as his sister-in-law, she'd dragged him to the servant's quarters with an arm wrapped around his neck to place her hand over his mouth while still managing to balance her tray in her other arm, her eyes anxiously scanning the palace hallways the entire time. She'd shoved him into Lucy's room, and the prince mentally berated himself for being stupid enough not to check here when he caught sight of Lucy kneeling next to a table inside. He forgot about his purpose for wanting to find the blonde though when he saw who was seated across from her.

The orange haired prince threw himself towards Gray with a relieved shout of his name, his meant-to-be-hug turning into more of a tackle in his haste. But he didn't feel sorry about it, and the raven haired prince didn't seem to mind to much either. The brothers hadn't seen one another in nearly three years, and after these next few days, they might never see each other again.

After being filled in on Gray and Juvia's escape plan, Loke had eagerly devoted himself to helping out in whatever way he could.

The four of them had gathered around the small table, Gray snacking on the pastries that Juvia had snatched him, their sense of inevitable doom growing as Juvia crossed exit after exit off the map of the palace.

Now that he was closer, Loke could see streaks of blue peeking through the strands of her hair that'd been smothered in black ink. He had to admit that it'd been a pretty clever idea on Lucy's part. The blonde couldn't completely abandon her tasks in order to attend to the couple's needs, so she'd figured that giving Juvia a court lady's uniform and disguising her so she could go out and get the supplies they needed was the best bet. The gimmick had worked without a hitch until she'd run into Loke.

Juvia begrudingly let the brush slide from her hand to clatter onto to the table after she crossed the last exit off, her voice small as she murmured, "We have to leave the palace if we want to get on the boat…"

Gray clenched his jaw, desperately trying to maintain hope, "Are you sure that this map's accurate? Are there really no other doors?"

"North, south, east, and west…all of the exits are guarded," Juvia stated solemnly. "There are way more guards now than when we entered."

Loke's lips twisted in displeasure as he grumbled out, "After usurping the throne, Laxus is afraid he'll be attacked one day. He was fully able to enter and seize the palace from Zeref, and he's not willing to risk the same thing happening to him." His gaze fell to his lap, his voice barely above a whisper, "I'm ashamed that he's my brother."

Gray sighed heavily, resting his elbows on the table and letting his head falling forward into his hands, "I wish we had Gildarts' flying contraption. That would make things a lot easier…Maybe we should just dig a hole out of this place…"

Everyone's eyes turned to Lucy as she suddenly sucked in a breath, her eyes wide as she perked up and eagerly explained, "The cave! The one by the spring! That's your way out!"

* * *

Lucy scanned the hallway outside her room before she quietly stepped through the doors and closed them behind her. She'd been planning with Gray and Juvia for most of the morning, and she was sure that people would begin to notice her absence soon. So she left the couple behind in her room so she could begin completing the day's tasks before people got suspicious and came to look for her.

"Lucy!"

The blonde stopped short in her steps at the call of her name, her brows furrowing and slight worry filling her features when she saw Juvia carefully peeking her head out the doors of her room.

She lowered her voice to a whisper as she shortened the distance between them, "You should head back inside, Juvia. The ink is starting to fade and someone might see you."

"But Juvia has something to ask of you, love rival," the blue haired woman carefully stepped through the doors fully, her voice lowering to a whisper as well. "Juvia would like to say her goodbyes to her grandfather before she goes. Do you think you could reach him somehow? Maybe through Gildarts?"

Lucy bit her lip, "I…I don't think that it's a good idea, Juvia. The astronomer is quite close to Prince Natsu, and you know that he's pledged himself to hunting you and Prince Gray down."

A pout formed on the girl's face, but she softly nodded her head in understanding. Her brows furrowed, "Why doesn't love rival trust the Fourth Prince anymore? To Juvia, it always seemed like you were very fond of him in the past. You two had a special relationship. Juvia could tell."

Lucy slowly sucked in a breath, her gaze dropping to the floor, "I...I have my reasons."

"If you're distancing yourself from him for Gray and Juvia's sake, then Juvia is very grateful for it. But…Juvia thinks that it's wrong to do that to the person you love. There are some bad rumors about Prince Natsu, but he didn't seem like a bad person when Juvia met him. He wouldn't go after Gray for no reason. There's probably something about the situation that none of us know but him. And if you really do love him…shouldn't you trust him no matter what?"

Lucy softly laughed at her own stupidity after hearing Juvia's words. The girl was right. She'd been there to witness Natsu fall apart after he thought he'd killed Laxus. It'd taken him months to recover from that incident, and he couldn't face the rest of his brothers for weeks because of the overwhelming feeling of shame that poured over him every time he was reminded of what he did.

Who was she to think that he would willing put himself through all of that misery again? And she had a feeling that if he was to kill Gray, the guilt would be far greater than it hadd been when he'd stabbed Laxus, and it would absolutely crush him.

He wasn't the same man that had thrown her from his horse when they first met, nor was he the same man that had held to a blade to her throat and threatened to end her life.

Natsu had changed. Lucy knew that the man he was today would never even dream of taking Gray's life. He'd told her himself that he wanted to help his brother escape, and she was an idiot for not believing in him.

A small smile formed on her lips, "I'll talk to Gildarts, for you, Juvia. I'll get Grand General Makarov here before you leave. I promise."

* * *

"Your Highness!"

Natsu's brows furrowed when Gildarts suddenly appeared on the landing of the stairs that lead into his study. From the expression on the astronomer's face, the prince could tell that whatever news he had to share was urgent.

Gildarts was breathing heavily from his run when he came to a stop in front of the salmon haired man, but he wasted no time in sharing what he had to tell, "Prince Gray's binary star has risen near the palace. You must search everywhere in the palace again, Your Highness. He's here! I'm sure of it!"

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw, "I've already searched everywhere, Gildarts, and there hasn't been a single sign of Gray. He's not here."

The astronomer sighed irritably, heavily lowering himself into a chair, "But the heavens say that he is. So how can that be?"

"Besides, how do I know that I can trust you right now, Gildarts?" Natsu's voice was filled with spite as he glared at the man, "If you can read the heavens, doesn't that mean you know of what's to come? Did you know that Zeref would die in such a way? Did you know that Laxus would become king?"

Gildarts dropped his gaze to the table, sighing heavily to himself before humbly beginning, "Can you even imagine what it's like for me to know and not get involved? It's the divine punishment of those who possess the ability to read the heavens…" His brows furrowed, "But even I was surprised by Prince Laxus. He wasn't born under the star of a king. Something has definitely strayed from the fated path. Something has caused our course to deviate. I wonder, what could it be?"

* * *

Sting stared into the dim light of the candle, the single flame the only source of light in his dark study.

Minerva carefully watched him from the entrance of the room, her brows knit with concern. Her brother seemed to be going mad ever since Laxus had taken over the throne, and even now, he was quietly mumbling to himself, his gaze intently zeroed in on the small flame.

"Sting?"

"Be careful of Prince Natsu," the blonde breathed out in monotone, his focus never leaving the small flame. "That's what Lucy told me once. She told me that I shouldn't try to stop him. It's just as she said. He's taking everything. No matter what I do…everything will become his."

* * *

Loke grunted as he lifted another stone from the pile, his muscles straining against the tight sleeves of his hanbok as he turned to hand the large rock to Juvia. She quickly turned to throw it atop the new pile that they were making, eager to rid herself of its weight.

They were clearing the exit that Gray and Juvia would use to escape the palace. It'd been sealed by piles of stone years ago, but with a few hours of work, they could make a hole big enough for the couple to slide through.

The orange haired prince took a moment to catch his breath, his eyes trained on Juvia as she struggled to find a way to get her hair off of her neck. The strands of her ponytail were sticking to her skin, twinging her sweat black as the ink transferred from her hair.

He reached into the waistband of his hanbok, retrieving a hairpin and holding it out to her. The girl's brows furrowed as she hesitantly took it from his hand, but he paid her confused look no mind, instead lowering himself to the ground and leaning against one of the cave's walls to take a break.

The blue haired girl plopped herself next to him, curiously inquiring, "Why do you carry around a hairpin?"

Loke cleared his throat and turned his head to avoid her prying gaze, "J-just because." He was looking back to her soon after though, "You have to give it back me when we're done here, okay?"

Juvia raised a brow, intrigued by the story behind the hairpin as she ran her fingers over it, "By the looks of it, it's not new." She looked to him with a smug, knowing grin on her face, "Does it belong to a girl you love?" She laughed triumphantly at the faint blush that appeared on his cheeks, "Juvia thought that all you cared about was fighting!" She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, "Tell Juvia about her!"

Loke cleared his throat again, a small smile appearing on his face as he gazed at the hairpin, the one that Lucy had used to risk her life for his own, "She's someone who put her life on the line for me. More than once, too." His smile grew as he recalled the various memories of the girl in question.

 _"Let go of me!" Loke struggled against the three men that held him as they stretched his right arm to the side, "I told you to let go!"_

 _"Accept your fate," the gray haired man swung the axe, stopping short when a figure suddenly flew into the clearing._

 _"Hey!"_

 _Loke recognized the shouting figure as the blonde that Gray had fought. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and waving a long stick around wildly, swatting at the thugs. "Move it! Out of the way, you punks!"_

The oranged haired prince chuckled to himself as he recalled the memory, "At first, it was when I heard her sing for me and my brothers. That was when I knew. From that moment on, all I wanted was to hear her sing for me alone. Are those feelings…what it means to like someone?"

A bright smile spread across Juvia's face and she enthusiastically nodded her head, "Juvia's been through it too, so she knows."

"You have?"

She nodded again, a soft, reminiscent smile forming her face as she recalled a memory of her own, "When Juvia's grandfather was chosen to become to the King's Grand General, the powerful families of Ishgar came to the palace to celebrate. All of the daughters of those families gathered to play together, and Juvia was forced into a frilly hanbok and dragged along. Even back then, when Juvia was only nine, she was more comfortable in her armor. To all the other children, Juvia was like a different species."

 _Juvia folded her arms over her knees and buried her head in the crook of her elbow, a sour pout on her face as she watched the group of girls chase one another through the tall grass, squealing in delight when they were caught. They'd all decided to ignore the blue haired girl after she attempted to start a wrestling match with one of them, all taken aback by her idea of what a fun game was._

 _She'd angrily plopped herself on one of the palace's porches, dejectedly grumbling to herself about how prissy the girls of the palace were._

 _A small bundle of flowers was suddenly shoved in front of her face, and she followed the small hand back its owner, shooting to her feet when she saw who it was._

 _She recognized him as Gray, the Tenth Prince. Her grandfather had tried to introduce the two to one another earlier, but the young prince, who was only ten years of age at the time, had been too preoccupied with chasing his orange haired brother around the palace whilst screaming like maniac to be contained for the brief moment that the introduction would take._

 _He seemed like an entirely different child now though. His short raven colored hair had been gathered into a small ponytail that stuck up at the crown of his head, a drastic change from the state of playful disarray that it'd been in earlier. He was now dressed more like a prince as well, an icy blue, silk hanbok tied meticulously around his form._

 _He seemed nervous as he held the small bundle of pink flowers out to her, his eyes quickly moving between her face and the ground as he hurriedly blurted out, "Please don't cry!"_

 _His brows furrowed when she only stared at him and the small bundle of flowers with wide eyes, "What? You don't like it?" A disappointed pout appeared on his lips as he withdrew his arm and held the bundle close to his chest, his gaze trained sadly on it as he quietly remarked, "That's strange…they say all pretty girls like flower rings…so why don't you like it?"_

'Did he just call Juvia pretty?' _the girl thought to herself. A boy had never complimented her on something that didn't involve fighting, and she'd certainly never received a gift from one other than her grandfather._

 _A bright smile spread across her face as she held up her left hand, and a similar grin appeared on the prince's face as he slid the flower ring onto her finger._

Juvia smiled to herself as she recalled the memory. Who could have guessed that the young prince who made her a flower ring would be the man that she ended up marrying?

"If you truly like someone, you'll never be confused about it, Your Highness. Don't worry about the consequences and just go for it. Juvia will cheer you on!"

Loke nodded, though he was slightly taken aback by how excited his sister-in-law was over the fact that he liked someone.

"Juvia's first love came true. Since Juvia will be cheering you on, she knows that yours will come true as well, Your Highness."

* * *

"H-hey, Lucy?"

The blonde set the book she'd been reading down on her desk when she heard Gray hesitantly call her name, and she spun in her chair to find him nervously twiddling his fingers as he sat cross-legged on her bed. Juvia and Loke had gone to begin unblocking the cave exit, leaving the Lucy and Gray alone in the blonde's room. It was the first time that the two had been together by themselves in three years, and both could feel the awkward tension that hung in the air.

The last conversation that they'd had one on one hadn't been pleasant for either of the two, and every interaction after that point only added to the tension that'd been building between them.

They hadn't had a chance to fix things given everything that had happened since then, but Lucy could tell by the regretful expression on Gray's face that he was taking the opportunity right now while he had it.

"Lucy…I'm a pretty crappy best friend, aren't I?"

"Pardon?"

"I hated you for a while just because you didn't feel the same way I did…And the last thing I said to you before you were sent away for a year…I told you that I never wanted to see your face again...That was a pretty stupid and selfish thing for me to do. And even after you came back to the palace, I couldn't bring myself to come and see you because I was afraid that you'd hate me. But then Juvia and I showed up here and I found out that you hadn't changed a bit…you're putting your own life at risk to help hide us even after all I've done. I want you to know that it's alright if you hate me…but I also want to let you know that I never forgot about how I treated you, and I regretted it every day. I know that I won't be here for much longer, but I want to try and fix things before I go if you'd let me."

A small, reassuring smile spread across Lucy's lips as she moved to sit next to him on the bed, "I could never hate you, Your Highness, and I never did. I don't think that either of us really knew where our feelings were headed back then anyways. We were too inexperienced to really be able to distinguish between the different types of affection. But I think that everything's turned out alright though, hasn't it? We've both gotten over the wrongs that we committed one another in the past and now we want to fix things."

Gray lightly chuckled to himself, "Why did I ever think that'd you say no?" He held up his index finger, a smug grin on his face as he said, "You're still the best, Lucy."

The blonde burst into giggles, having forgot about their special hand gesture over the years. Just like always, Gray was able to cheer her up in the midst of seemingly unending, suffocating misery.

The prince was laughing too, taking a few moments to calm down before he softly continued with a small smile on his lips, "I…I don't know if we'll ever see one another again after Juvia and I leave, but…if we ever do, let's treat each other like best friends again, okay? Let's do the things we used to, like making the snapweed pastes and the puppet shows and the birthday parties. Everything's changed so much in just three years, and I'm sure that things will continue to change. But let's both promise that our friendship will always stay the same, okay?"

A bright smile spread across Lucy's face and a small laugh escaped her lips, "Of course, Your Highness. We'll stay best friends for all time, no matter what happens."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Awww…some childhood Gruvia, some onesided Loke x Lucy, and finally a resolution between Gray and Lucy!**

 **And yes, we now know that history is deviating from its fated course, and that Lucy's presence in the past is the cause. Sting's changed quite a bit since the beginning of this story, and it's all because he loved Lucy that he began to make the choices he did. And those choices have had quite the impact on the way that things were supposed to be!**

 **Also, Scarlet Heart never addresses all of the stuff that happens between Gray and Lucy's characters, they're just suddenly best friends again and it almost seems like their little fight never happened. So, that last scene came from my own yearning for some sort of resolution to the whole thing…plus Graylu is my Brotp, so I'll never hesitate to add in some moments for them :)**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	56. Chapter 56: Hand in Hand

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Minerva made sure to smile sweetly as she bowed to the new King. She'd always been on the same side as Laxus in the past, and now she was sure that through him she would finally get what she wanted, to become Queen of Ishgar.

"I'm sorry that I came so late to congratulate you, Your Majesty."

Laxus lips quirked at the edges, "I was thinking of calling you in soon. I have news regarding your marriage. I'm sending you to Iceberg."

The princess' sweet smile immediately faded, her eyes widening a fraction, "W-what?"

The King's smirk widened, "Zeref sent his son to Stella, and it only makes sense that we form alliances with Iceberg as well." He fixated his gaze on his younger sister, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he said, "Congratulations on your marriage, Minerva."

Her jaw clenched and her lips quivered with her fury, her gaze dropping to the ground as she ground out, "Why is it that everyone who sits upon that throne threatens me with marriage? Whether it be the person who conceived me or the person I grew up with…You're all the same. You must believe that there's no better way to control a woman than marriage." She looked back to the King, her voice filling with spite, "You disappoint me."

Laxus only chuckled, "What? You're not still greedy to be a queen, are you?" All amusement disappeared from his expression and voice, replaced by deadly calm, "Your brother betrayed me and you were on his side. I won't have a household like that ruling this nation. So enjoy the rest of your life in Iceberg, Minerva. I hope to never see you again."

* * *

Juvia's brows were raised as she watched her husband wander about Lucy's room, rummaging through the blonde's many books before aimlessly walking in circles and dramatically sighing to himself. He slumped down in a crouch, peering under the bed before sighing again and plopping himself face first on Lucy's mattress, not even bothering to catch himself on the way down.

Juvia rolled her eyes when she heard him mumble something, his voice muffled by the matress, "What was that, Your Highness?"

He quickly flipped himself over, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to her, an angry pout on his face as he irritably huffed out a breath, "It's so stuffy in here. I've been running around this palace since I was a boy, but now there's nowhere I can go except this one, tiny room!" He fell back onto the bed, his limps splaying out in annoyance, "At least you can go out…I've been stuck in this room for days!"

Juvia rolled her eyes again. She loved her husband more than anything, but sometimes he could be a real pain in the ass. It was just like him to complain about feeling contained when their lives were at stake.

"Your Highness, would you like to take a bath?"

He peeked at her through one eye, his pout making it look as if he thought she was taunting and deceiving him.

"Lucy doesn't allow the court ladies into the spring at night, so it'll be alright," Juvia reassured, a soft smile appearing on her face.

A bright smile began to break out across the prince's face and he snatched his wife's hand, quickly dragging her from the room and down the hallway towards the bath.

* * *

Gray awkwardly coughed in an attempt to lessen the tightness in his throat as he fumbled with the tie of his white robe. He looked over at Juvia, finding that she was pretending to be thoroughly examining a flower she'd snatched from the table of herbs that rested alongside the bath. But he could see that every now and then she would glance at him out of the corner her eye, waiting to see if he would take the step that both of them were so terrified to take.

The couple had been married for three years, but Gray hadn't even seen so much as Juvia's naked elbow, much less her entire bare form. And now they were expected to strip in front of one another so they could bathe together.

Gray nervously cleared his throat again, swallowing heavily as he began to fiddle with the tie of his robe once more. He looked over again to see Juvia's eyes widen as she caught of what he was doing in her peripherals, but her focus remained devotedly attached to the flower that she clutched in her grasp.

He gave up on the idea of actually taking a bath with a heavy sigh, tightening the strings of his robe once again.

* * *

Gray grinned proudly as he finished all of the necessarily folds, holding the towel-rabbit up for his wife to see, "Here. I'm finished."

She let out an excited gasp, her face filling with delight, "Wow! That's amazing!" She took his creation into both of her hands, playing with the bits of the towel that stuck out like ears, "It looks just like the real thing!"

The prince's smug grin grew, trying to sound nonchalant as he reached for more towels, "Well, I'll have to show all my skills then."

* * *

Rabbits, sparrows, and roses made of towels soon littered the floor of the bath, along with other various critters and flowers. But they'd been abandoned by the couple who'd moved on to taking the sticks meant to mix tea and more towels to create two small ships that they set afloat in the bath water.

Gray puffed out his chest as he looked at his wife, who stood on the other side of the small spring, pompously fanning himself with a black and white fan. Juvia was excitedly bouncing the balls of her feet, her own fan clutched in her right hand as she bit her bottom lip anxiously.

A bright grin broke out on the prince's face, "…Go!"

The two crouched down next to the water, each using their fans to push their own small boats forward and towards the edge of the spring.

Half way through the race, Gray glanced up to see Juvia's boat was moving much faster than his, and she was already a few feet ahead of him. His face filled with determination and he leaned down to blow on his boat to gain extra speed. But leaning so far forward and continuing walk as his boat moved along proved quite difficult, and he soon found himself tipping forward into the bath water.

When he emerged, his ears were greeted with the sound of boisterous laughing, and he turned to see Juvia clutching the side of her stomach with one hand, giggling as she used her other hand to continue fanning her small boat forward. Her victory was assured now, or at least that's what she thought since her focus was on her sopping wet husband rather than paying attention to where she was headed. She knocked right into a pillar that rested on the edge of the spring, the rebound from the impact causing her to trip on the long material of her robe and fall into the water right alongside her husband.

Gray was cackling like a madman when she resurfaced, even though he had fallen victim to the same embarrassment only moments before.

Juvia pushed her arms through the water, sending a hefty wave to smack her husband in the face, "Stop laughing!"

The prince only laughed more, his face filling with determination, "Oh, you dare to start a splashing battle with me? Bring it!"

* * *

Gray sighed heavily as he settled next to Juvia on the stairs that lead into the spring water, his sopping wet robe clinging to everything it came in contact with. They were both tired out from their water battle, but they both still had pleasant smiles on their faces despite their exhaustion.

"Oh, Juvia almost forgot!" his wife suddenly exclaimed, beginning to rummage through the discarded pile of clothes that she'd worn into the spring. She turned back to the prince with a bright smile, holding something out to him, "Juvia was going to give this to you earlier, but she only remembered it now."

Gray's eyes widened when he saw what she had grasped in her hands. It was his favorite slingshot, the one he'd been gifted on his birthday three years ago. He slowly took it from her, running his fingers over it in disbelief, "You…you remembered to grab this in all that confusion?"

"Of course, Your Highness," Juvia's smile only brightened when she saw how happy he was as he stared at the slingshot. "It's your favorite thing, so Juvia couldn't just leave it behind."

The prince tested the band for a moment before his smile faded, his arms falling to rest in his lap as he stared at the slingshot with a bitter expression on his face, "If only I wasn't a prince. I would have wanted to open the largest novelty goods shop in Magnolia. I've always been good at making stuff with my hands…so I wanted to make toys that children could enjoy and play with. That was my dream."

"You can still do that, Your Highness," his wife reassured with pleasant grin. "When we get to Pergrande, you can open up a novelty goods shop, and Juvia will teach martial arts."

Gray let out a small laugh, "Sounds like a plan."

As the prince turned to rummage for something at his side, Juvia retrieved one of the towel rabbits that he had made. She gently laid it in her lap with a small smile, carefully placing small cherry blossoms on its face to give it eyes.

She was drawn out of her pleasant reverie when there was a clinking noise next to her ear, and she looked over to see her husband holding up a blue incense pouch, intricately interwoven with gold and white beads.

He had a soft smile on his face, "I did manage to bring this one thing." His brows furrowed when a sour pout formed on his wife's features.

Her voice was monotone as she breathed out, "Yes…Juvia's sure that Lucy will like it very much."

"It's yours!" Gray pressed, feeling offended by the fact that she thought he would do such a thing. "I…I noticed that you didn't have one, and Minerva was asking what kind of girl doesn't even have an incense pouch. So I got you one that matches your hair…Here," he shoved the pouch into her lap, quickly averting his gaze to anywhere but his wife.

He looked back to her after a moment though, his brows furrowing when he saw that she was still had somewhat of a pout on her face, "D-do you not like it?"

She only glanced up at him for the briefest of moments before her gaze dropped to her lap again.

"That's strange…they say all pretty girls like incense pouches."

Juvia's eyes widened and she turned to him, a memory from nearly thirteen years ago resurfacing in her mind.

 _Gray's brows furrowed when Juvia only stared at him and the small bundle of flowers with wide eyes, "What? You don't like it?" A disappointed pout appeared on his lips as he withdrew his arm and held the bundle close to his chest, his gaze trained sadly on it as he quietly remarked, "That's strange…they say that all pretty girls like flower rings…so why don't you like it?"_

Her turning towards him seemed to prompt him into realizing what he'd just said, and his cheeks were immediately tinged with pink as he laughed nervously whilst trying to explain himself, "I mean…I'm not saying that you're p-pretty…Just that…lately…lately you don't look so bad...I think I'm developing some eye issues, so-"

Juvia cut him off, gently placing her hands on his cheeks and leaning forward to press her lips to his.

It was their first kiss.

Gray's eyes were wide as she pulled back, and she smiled softly at him, "Juvia understands what you're trying to say. Even flowers from a pumpkin…are still flowers."

The prince dropped his gaze to his lap, swallowing heavily and clearing his throat as he gently grasped her wrists and pulled her hands off his face, "I…I want two sons and two daughters…I won't have it any other way!"

His wife's eyes widened, her fingers coming to press against her lips, "Will…will kissing make Juvia pregnant?"

Gray slowly slid his eyes to her, failing to restrain a chuckle when he realized that she was being completely serious with her question. He supposed growing up on the battlefield with only soldiers as your friends didn't really give one the means to learn about such things.

He smiled as he fondly examined every inch of her face, his heart finally at ease after years of holding his feelings inside, "It would've been nice to have lived like this from the very beginning."

After a moment more of gazing at his wife, he pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his slingshot as he did so, "Let's head inside. You'll freeze to death if we stay out here."

As he began to walk away, Juvia hurriedly pushed herself to her feet as well, gathering her still sopping wet rob in her hands as she chased after him, "Wait! Is Juvia with child now?"

Gray let out a small chuckle, extending his hand to his wife, "Come on. Let's go."

She glanced between his hand and his face, slowly sliding her hand through his. Her smile grew as he curled his fingers around hers.

They left the spring hand in hand, both sopping wet and smiling brighter than the stars in the night sky above them.

* * *

Lucy smiled softly to herself as she examined the towel bunny she'd retrieved from the floor of the spring. It was Gray's craftsmanship, she was sure, as were the rest of the dozens of towel critters and flowers that were scattered about the area.

She'd nearly had a heart attack last night when she'd returned from her daily tasks to find her room empty. But only moments after she'd walked through its doors, the couple came strolling down the hallway hand in hand, sopping wet, and giggling to themselves about something the blonde couldn't hear.

"Where'd all this stuff come from?" Levy's brows were furrowed as she plucked one of the small boats from the spring. "I'm sure that I cleaned this place last night before I went to bed. Did someone come by?"

"I made them," Lucy lied, a gentle smile still on her face as she played with the parts of the towel that stuck out like ears. "I thought I might decorate the palace with them."

Her brows furrowed when she caught sight of Levy bowing to someone in the corner of her eye, an expression somewhat akin to slight terror on the small court lady's face.

Lucy turned over her shoulder, finding Minerva standing at the entrance of the spring. The princess had a sour expression on her face, like she did most of the time.

The blonde court lady turned to face the princess, bowing in respect, "Greetings, Your Highness. I'll let the attendants know that you're here."

Minerva's brows furrowed as she saw the small towel bunny in Lucy's hands, but a sinister smirk was soon spreading across her features, "I didn't come for a bath. I came to talk to you."

* * *

Minerva wasted no time in getting straight to the point, not even bothering to thank Lucy as the blonde court lady set a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of her, "Leave Natsu. You've already done enough to Sting, leading him on in the way that you did. And now you've bewitched Natsu. I can't bear to see your indecent behavior any longer, so leave him first. Only then will I not get involved."

Lucy only blankly stared at Minerva as she continued to misplace all of the blame for what had happened on her. The two women had never gotten along, but Lucy was sick of wasting time bickering with the princess. She would let Minerva talk herself dry before she responded and ended the conversation for good.

"Your goal in getting married is to leave the palace. I can do that for you. I can get you married into a family that's on a similar level to that of a prince."

Lucy let out a small sigh, "Marriage for power might be a goal for you, Your Highness, but not for me. Prince Natsu is happy is because of me, and he makes me feel valued. That's why I want to marry. If he remains steadfast…then I see no reason for me to end our relationship. So I won't leave him first."

Minerva let out a small, incredulous laugh, "Now I realize why I've always hated you. For you, feelings and marriage…are just silly games. They aren't life and death like they are for me." The princess stood, a sneer on her face as she turned to face the blonde fully, "Don't be so confident that nothing will change, Lucy. Nothing ever stays the same in the palace. I promise you that you'll regret not heading my warning."

* * *

"Grand General Makarov and Astronomer Gildarts Clive. Those with military and religious power are sticking by Natsu. We must get rid of him as soon as possible," Sting evenly ground out, his expression unflinching as he spoke of murdering his own brother.

Laxus ran his fingers over his gold ring, lounging in his throne, "It hasn't been long since we planned Lady Ur's revolt, and we haven't managed to kill Gray yet. We shouldn't rush so quickly from one thing to the next. When I attack Natsu, the timing must be perfect."

"Then in the mean time we must separate Makarov and Gildarts. It could be dangerous to leave them togeth-"

He was cut off as the doors to the throne room were suddenly thrown open, and they both looked to see Minerva strutting through them, a sweet smile on her face.

Laxus clenched his jaw at having been interrupted, "What do you think you're doing?"

The princess didn't even look to Sting as she approached the throne and bowed to the King, "I believe that I possess some information which would make things quite a bit easier for the two of you."

"What?"

"In return, cancel my marriage to Iceberg."

Laxus scoffed, "Well, now I'm intrigued. What information do you possess that it would equal the worth of the alliance with Iceberg?"

Minerva's sweet smile never faded, "It's about Gray. I know where he is."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Finally, some Gruvia! Plus Minerva's back in the story, and she's still a bitch...**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	57. Chapter 57: Together

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy rose early in the morning to see her best friend and his wife off, walking in front of the couple and peering around corners to make sure the hallways of the palace were clear as they made their way to the royal spring. She turned to them when they reached the entrance of the small cave, a gentle, reassuring smile on her face, "Loke will be waiting for you the exit. He'll accompany you and make sure you get to the boat safely."

Juvia gave a small nod of her head, and Gray looked more stoic than the blonde had ever seen him. She knew that he was just putting on a brave face in front of her and his wife, and that deep down he must truly be terrified. Their safety was far from assured, and no one knew what their futures held once they got to Pergrande, a country that was vastly different from Ishgar in language, culture, and custom.

Lucy took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears as she said goodbye to two of the few people who'd always been on her and Natsu's side. She swallowed down her unwillingness to let them go, holding out a small parcel to the blue haired girl, "Here. It's some dried meat…Just in case."

Juvia took the parcel into her arms, grasping onto one of the blonde's hands before she could withdraw it, "Thank you, Lucy…Really…Thank you so much for all that you've done."

The blonde court lady gave the girl a soft, somewhat regretful smile, which she returned.

"Lucy, we'll see each other again, okay? I'm coming to find you as soon as I'm allowed to come back, and I'll make you do all the things we used to, whether you're still the highest court lady in the palace or not," Gray promised, a joking grin appearing on his face.

Lucy let out a small laugh, "Yes, Your Highness. I'll be waiting for you."

"By the way," Juvia started, her pleasant expression giving way to worry, "what about Juvia's grandfather? Did you contact him?"

"I left a letter with Gildarts. I'm sure Makarov will meet you along the way," the blonde reassured.

The blue haired girl softly nodded her head and bit her lip, clearly upset by the uncertainty of whether or not she would see the only family she had left ever again.

Gray set a comforting hand on her shoulder, gently leading her to the entrance of the cave, "Come on. Let's go."

They only took a few a few steps before slowing to a halt when they heard shouting echoing through the cave, their faces turning grim as Loke came flying out of the opening, sweat covered and sword in hand.

He immediately went to the couple, shouting at them as he shoved them away from the entrance, "Go! Run! There are royal guard everywhere outside!"

Gray's eyes widened, "Loke-"

"I'll stay behind and stop them, so run! Now!" His head whipped to Lucy, startling the blonde, "You too! Go!"

Juvia was the first to recover from her shock, grasping her husband's hand in her own and desperately dragging him away from the cave and back into the palace. Lucy gathered the skirt of her hanbok in her hands and ran after them, still in somewhat of a daze.

They had been so damn close to escaping. To the blonde, it'd seemed like everything was going to turn out okay. She was willing to make the sacrifice and never see her best friend again if it meant him and his wife got to stay alive.

And they had been _so damn close._

"We're here for the Tenth Prince! Find him, now!"

The three slid to a stop when the shout rang throughout the hallways of the palace.

' _What do we do?!'_ Lucy thought desperately, tears of frustration beginning to gather in her eyes. ' _Gray and Juvia have been hiding the palace for five days! Is fate so cruel that they'll be caught just before they were about to leave for good?!'_ Her panic only grew when the shouting began to sound out from behind them as well. They were completely surrounded. ' _What the hell am I supposed to do?!'_

She spun around when someone grasped her arm, and she turned to find Juvia with a look of utmost trust on her face, "Take His Highness another way. Now."

"W-what? There's no way I am just leaving you, Juvia!" the raven haired boy protested.

"They won't be able to kill Juvia because of who her grandfather is. It's you they're after."

Gray desperately grabbed her wrist when she turned to head in the direction that the shouts were the loudest, "No, you can't! We…we promised we'd go together, didn't we?"

She looked down where he grasped her arm, placing her own hand on top of his as she forced a reassuring smile onto her face, "Juvia will follow you soon." She raised her gaze to his again, rising up on the balls of her feet to softly press her lips to his in a fleeting kiss, "Juvia promises."

She slid her wrist out of his grasp, briefly turning to Lucy and giving her a quick nod, "Take care of my husband. Juvia trusts you."

Gray numbly stared after his wife as she disappeared down the hallway, frozen in place with his hand still outstretched in the space that she had formerly occupied.

Lucy desperately grabbed onto his wrist, a few tears silently beginning to stream from her eyes as she began dragging him down a different hallway, "Please…listen to your wife and run, Your Highness!"

He dug his feet into the floor, successfully stopping the blonde from pulling him further than a few feet. His eyes were still trained on where Juvia had gone, "I…I can't do it. I can't hide behind her in shame like this. They could kill her!"

The raven haired prince moved to run after his wife, and Lucy frantically grabbed onto his arm with the other hand as well. She loved Juvia too, but if she had the chance to save Gray, then she would take it without hesitation. The blonde knew that it was what Juvia would want too. The blue haired girl loved her husband more than enough to sacrifice herself for him, and Lucy would do all she could to honor that sacrifice. The blonde completely forgot about honorifics as she pleaded with him, "Please, Gray…you can't! Juvia wouldn't want you to!"

He turned to face her, a small, regretful smile on his face as he grasped her shoulders, "Lucy…I have to. I'm all she has."

He pulled her into his chest for the briefest of moments, not even giving the blonde time to return the hug before he was pulling back, giving her one last smile before running down the hallway after his wife.

Lucy's hands were shaking as he slipped from her grasp, silent tears streaming down her cheeks as he disappeared around the corner, his navy blue hanbok fluttering behind him. Only now did she realize why the material had looked so familiar, so much so that it'd sent unnerving chills down her spine. It was the hanbok that he'd been wearing in her vision, the very same hanbok that'd been splattered with blood as Natsu drove a sword through his stomach.

* * *

The courtyard of the palace was filled with the sounds of battle, and dirt was kicked up into the air as feet moved furiously across the ground to attack and dodge.

Laxus watched on as his little brother and sister-in-law's swords clashed against his soldiers' weapons, his bored expression showing his lack of interest. Not that he didn't enjoy it when his prey fought back, it was simply the fact that Gray and Juvia seemed to be winning, at least for the moment.

Considering who her grandfather was, he shouldn't have been surprised that Juvia was doing so well with her weapon, taking out three of his soldiers in a matter of only a few moments. But he'd never seen a woman, much less one that was just barely over twenty, possess such skill when it came to wielding a blade. She never killed, but she knocked her opponents unconscious or injured them in just the right places to ensure that they wouldn't be rejoining the battle.

It was the raven haired prince that truly surprised the King though. Gray had never shown interest in learning to fight. He'd only ever wielded a blade at rituals, and even then he always kept it sheathed. But he'd taken out his own fair share of soldiers too, driven not by skill but by his desire to protect his wife. The raven haired prince never made the first move, only attacking the soldiers that started to advance on Juvia while she was occupied with other opponents.

The corners of the King's lips quirked slightly when the tide of the battle turned, one of his soldier's blades finally managed to find its target. Juvia's sword had been impaled in her opponent's shoulder, using her weapon to drive the man back and away from Gray, who facing his own opponent. One of the other soldiers had taken advantage of her vulnerability, lunging to swipe his sword across the right side of her abdomen in a deep cut. Her left hand immediately went to press against the wound, the man that had been impaled on her sword falling off of the blade as she screamed in pain through clenched teeth.

The soldier that had inflicted the wound moved to attack her again, but with a furious shout, Gray lunged for him, using his sword to block the attack and kicking him in the chest to send him stumbling back, a move he had picked up from watching Natsu fight.

The raven haired prince pushed his wife behind him as the soldiers surrounded them once more, his blade held at the ready in case anyone dared to attack his wife again.

Juiva desperately latched onto his left arm, her blood transferring from her hand to the sleeve of his hanbok. She was slightly hunched over as she wrapped her other arm around her middle in an attempt to staunch the bleeding, still clutching her blade in that hand in case she needed to fight at a moment's notice. Her eyes never left the guards that encircled them as she pushed through her pain, her voice urgent as she addressed her husband, "Your Highness…you should go…now."

"Shut up," he ground out, his furious glare trained on his older brother, who stood on the balcony above them. "I'll be the one to protect you this time. I'm not hiding behind you for a second more." He raised his voice, pushing Juvia further behind him as he addressed the King, "Laxus! Let us go!" His head whipped to his wife for a brief moment when she let out a hiss of pain, the splotch of blood on her hanbok continuing to grow in size. Gray turned his attention back to Laxus, his efforts growing more desperate as his wife's condition worsened, "Please! If you let us go, we'll never return to Ishgar again! We're brothers, Laxus! We grew up togeth-"

He was cut off as Juvia suddenly shoved him out the way of an oncoming attack from behind, the raven haired prince barely managing to catch himself as he was sent into the dirt face first. He flipped himself over just in time to see one of the guards stab a sword into his wife's torso, dragging the blade through her flesh from her shoulder to the opposite hip.

Gray was immediately crawling to kneel at her side as she crumbled to the ground, his sword lying abandoned in the dirt behind him.

"My wife…" His eyes were wide in denial as he gently cradled her jaw with quivering hands, tears beginning to fill his eyes without his volition as he took in the gruesome sight of her wound, "J-Juvia…"

Her unfocused eyes slowly slid in his direction as he called her name, and she let out a sound akin to choking as she tried to force herself to say something, the words getting caught in her throat and small lines of blood slipping through her lips instead.

"It's alright, Juvia…I-it's alright…" Gray managed to say between quivering breaths, a few tears managing to escape his eyes and streak down his face.

As he comfortingly stroked his thumb across her cheek, she managed to give him a soft smile.

He was her first love. She'd wished for nothing more than to be with him in her life, and she got what she wanted. He returned all of the love that she gave him, and that was all she could have ever asked for.

Gray knew what that smile meant. She knew that she was going to die, and it was her last attempt to comfort him as she left him behind. His panic only grew as her eyelids started fluttering closed, "N-no!...We promised we'd go together! J-Juvia? Juvia!"

Her eyes fell shut for the last time, her head falling to the side in his grasp.

"Juvia…no…no, not yet! Juvia!"

Laxus smirked as he watched his younger brother break apart as he kneeled over his wife's still form, heart wrenching sobs wracking his frame as he desperately screamed and pleaded for her to come back to him.

Gray had always been the most carefree and playful of the princes, seemingly immune to the many burdens that often fell upon the royal family. And to see him dissolve into this pathetic, sobbing mess…it was incredibly amusing for the new King.

Laxus held his hand out to the side, his eyes still trained on his younger brother as his bow and a single arrow were placed in his grasp.

He wasn't normally a man to take someone out while they were already down. He liked to watch them hopelessly struggle to survive, refusing to settle for defeat and accept the inevitable. It made the kill all the more enjoyable.

But Gray had become a nuisance, and Laxus was more than ready to rid himself of his annoying little brother.

The King notched the arrow, his gaze unwavering as he took aim.

Laxus didn't even flinch as the arrow embedded itself into his younger brother's right bicep, the raven haired prince letting out a pained shout at the sudden, blinding agony that spread through his arm.

Gray hissed in pain through clenched teeth as he grasped the arrow that stuck out of his arm, his glare fixed on the King, who was already notching another arrow.

A furious shout drew everyone's attention to the side of the courtyard, and Natsu was suddenly flying through the air to kick the soldier that stood nearest to Gray. Loke and Lucy followed in behind him, their eyes widening when they caught sight of Juvia's still, bloodied form.

Natsu threw himself protectively in front of his younger brother, sweeping his sword out in front of him to send the guards scurrying away.

Laxus seemed unfazed by his sudden appearance, his arrow still notched and aimed towards Gray as he simply commanded, "Move."

"Must you really go this far?!" the salmon haired prince furiously ground out. Words couldn't describe the fury he felt at having arrived to find Gray and Juvia in such a state as they were. He was too late to save his sister-in-law, but he would fight till his last breath to ensure that his younger brother made it out of here alive.

"The roots of treason must be pulled out in order to keep this nation peaceful. Now, move aside."

"Stop this!" Loke suddenly sprang into action, having to fight hand-to-hand because he had lost his sword whilst fighting off the soldiers in the cave.

The commotion prompted one of the soldiers to lunge towards Gray again, and Natsu spun to block the attack with his sword, using his weapon to slice the man's throat afterward.

As soon as Natsu was out of the way, Laxus released the string of his bow.

Time seemed to slow to a stop as the arrow plunged into Gray's chest.

The raven haired prince's eyes were wide and full of betrayal as he grasped the arrow with quivering, blood covered hands.

Loke paid no mind to the guards as they roughly took hold of his arms and forcefully pushed him to his knees, his wide eyes instead trained on his brother.

 _'No…this…this can't be happening...Gray...'_ Lucy had numbly frozen in place as well, desperately fighting to get her body to do _something_ to intervene. But she couldn't get her feet to do so much as take a single step forward, silent tears slipping from her eyes as her best friend began to tip forward into the dirt.

Natsu fell to his knees in front of the raven haired prince and caught his shoulders before he could hit the ground, his sword clattering into the dirt, "Gray!"

The tenth prince desperately grabbed onto his salmon haired brother's sleeves, huffing out uneven, pained breaths, his voice quivering as he began, "N-Natsu…do you re-remember back on my birthday? You s-said you would g-give me any present I wanted…Do you re-remember?" He paused to drag in another shakily breath, the air seeming to catch in his throat as he desperately tried to push through his pain and finish what he wanted to say, "I was t-told that there was a g-gift only you could give me…Laxus…he…he manipulated me…"

Natsu felt his throat begin to tighten as he listened to his brother speak, tears threatening to spill from his eyes without his volition. He'd always found Gray incredibly annoying, but nothing could ever change the fact that the raven haired prince was his little brother, one who had never done him any wrong and one of the few that had always been on his side. Of all the princes, Gray deserved this cruel end the least. He hadn't even stepped foot in the palace for three years, cutting himself off from all of the politics and evils of the place. But fate had ruthlessly discharged this end upon him and his wife, mercilessly crushing their hearts beneath its weight.

As his form quivered in Natsu's grasp, Gray's focus shakily slid to the side, his face scrunching in sorrow and his voice becoming more choked as he looked to the still form of his wife, "That girl…I can't let her go alone…we p-promised we'd go together…" He looked up to Laxus for a brief moment, catching sight of the King notching another arrow, before looking back to Natsu, his trembling grip on his brother's hanbok tightening in desperation as he began to plead, "Natsu…I would p-prefer it if you just…I would prefer it if it was _you_ instead of _him_ …Please, Natsu…It's a gift that only you can give me…"

It seemed that fate wanted to drag down as many as it could into endless misery.

Gray had just asked Natsu to kill him. His _little brother_ had just asked him to take his life.

And that request ripped Natsu to shreds.

How did Gray expect him to carry on after having committing such a crime? It'd taken him ages to recover after he'd seemingly killed Laxus, and he hated the King with every fiber of his being. If he were to kill Gray, he knew it would haunt his conscience for the rest of his life, and he would be plagued by the memory of what he'd done during both his waking hours and his nightmares.

But how could he refuse such a request? He'd already done enough to let Gray down. He hadn't gotten there soon enough to save Juvia's life, and Natsu knew that his brother's will to continue living died along with the blue haired girl. If Gray somehow managed to survive this confrontation with the King, his days would be spent in grief over the loss of his wife. And that was _if_ he also managed to overcome the damage that'd already been inflicted on him.

Natsu swallowed heavily, strengthening his resolve as he moved his hand to rest on top of Gray's own. The raven haired prince was still coughing and shivering in pain, but he managed to give him a quivering, grateful smile.

The salmon haired prince grabbed his sword from the ground, his hands slowly sliding off of Gray's shoulders as he forced himself to stand. His body moved incredibly slow, protesting his commands as if in resistance to what he was about to do.

But no matter what, no matter the _hell_ that would fall upon him after the fact, he would fulfill Gray's dying request. Like his brother had said, it was a gift only Natsu could give him.

As Natsu raised his sword, Loke began to grapple against the guards that held him once again, determinedly trying to break free with desperate, wordless shouts, his eyes never leaving his two brothers.

Lucy seemed to be shaken out of her numb state as well, suddenly running forward only be to be intercepted as arms quickly wrapped around her and roughly pulled her into an armored chest. But she didn't let the soldier stop her protests, frantically struggling against his hold as she cried out in vain, "NATSU! NO! GRAY!"

With a harrowing, soul-shattering scream, Natsu drove his sword through Gray's stomach, and time seemed to freeze once again as blood spurted from the raven haired prince's mouth.

Lucy's legs gave out on her, and she numbly fell to her knees as Gray tipped forward into the dirt after Natsu withdrew his sword. It was just like she'd seen in her vision. She'd known that this was going happen for _years._ But when the time had come for it to become reality, she couldn't do a damn thing, and she hated herself for it.

The raven haired prince let out a few wet coughs, hissing through clenched teeth as he fell onto his right arm, the one with the arrow still embedded in it. For a moment, he marveled over how he could still feel pain after all of the damage that had been inflicted on him. With his quivering left hand, he tried to reach for his wife, who lay still only a few feet away.

Gray loathed the fact that he didn't get a peaceful death after a long, fulfilling life, nor would there be peace after he was gone, he was sure. He didn't know where the idea came from, but he had a feeling that his death would bring about a great change, in who or what he didn't know. But change always brought conflict, especially in their cruel country of Ishgar. He hoped and prayed that whatever that change was, it would be for the better, because he didn't want to be the cause for any suffering that would befall the loved ones he was leaving behind.

He had so many things that he wanted to do in his life, whether it was make up the years he spent away from the palace to Lucy, Natsu, Loke, and Jellal, or open that novelty goods shop he'd always dreamed of owning.

But the thing he wanted more than anything else was to start a family with the woman he loved. Two sons and two daughters…that was what he'd always envisioned. Even if he never got the chance to see that vision become reality, at the very least, he was elated to have found the woman he loved, even he couldn't see that it was her at first.

That was another desire that would be left unfulfilled. He'd been so selfish and distant from Juvia in the first year of their marriage, constantly pushing her away and refusing all of the love that she practically showered him with. He wanted to sincerely apologize to Juvia for all of the time he spent being an absolute idiot, and he would make up for all of the moments they had missed out on as a couple. They had just had their first kiss last night, and he would kiss her as much as he needed to make up for the three years that had been wasted.

He was reluctant to accept that none of that would ever happen.

But in this moment, as he lay bleeding out on the ground next his wife, Gray was peacefully satisfied with the fact that Natsu had allowed one of his greatest wishes to be fulfilled. He and Juvia had promised that when the time came, they would die together so that neither one of them would be left alone. Even if he couldn't do everything else he wanted in this life, he was content with being able to accompany her into the afterlife. Just like they'd promised, no matter where they went, they would always be together.

Gray's eyes slid shut for the final time, and his hand fell to the ground only a few inches from Juvia's own. As his body went limp and tipped onto his back, his hand slid through the dirt, fate cruelly preventing him from touching his wife one last time.

His blood covered body stilled, never to move again.

With a furious, choked shout, Loke kicked away the guards that restrained him, his eyes filling with tears as he rushed to Gray's side. He threw himself to knees beside him, desperately placing his hands on his brother's chest and shaking his limp body, "Gray! No! G-Gray…wake up! Open your eyes, Gray!" He withdrew his hands, and they trembled as he took in the sight of the blood that coated them, more tears falling from his eyes as a sob escaped his throat.

His expression quivered in fury as the sound of laughing rang out from above him, and his jaw clenched as he looked up to the source.

Between desperate gasps, Natsu was laughing.

Lucy numbly stared at the salmon haired prince, tears silently streaming down her cheeks and dripping into the dirt.

What she'd assumed to be cruel, joyous laughter in her vision was truly the face of a man in sorrowful, broken hysterics, both mentally and emotionally falling to pieces as he stared at the motionless, bloodied form of his little brother.

* * *

 **AN**

 **This is the chapter that I've been dying/dreading to write since I started this fic. The tenth prince's death is truly** _ **haunting,**_ **and I thought about it for days and days after I first watched it. And just like I thought it would, it took me days and days to write this chapter. Normally, it takes me between two to four hours to write a chapter, but this one literally took me days, and I've been going back and editing it literally up until it came time to post it. This is scene is beautifully executed in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Everything from the acting to the dialogue to the music is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and I cried for like five hours after I watched it (Though part of that may also be because the tenth prince is played by Byun Baekhyun, one of my favorite people on this planet. Like, he's literally the most adorable little shit I've ever seen and his vocals are killer. Plus he was the reason I watched Scarlet Heart Ryeo in the first place) But anyways, I spent so much time on this chapter just because I wanted to dive into each of the character's heads and express all of the turmoil that every character goes through in this scene. For me, this is the most memorable scene in the entire show because of the emotion and the change it brings about, so I hope I did it justice.**

 **Also, fun fact: I first made the connection between Scarlet Heart Ryeo and Fairy Tail while watching this scene. This episode came out when the E.N.D. vs Gray fanfics and fanarts were super popular, like the ones where Natsu turns into E.N.D. and Gray has to fight him but then Natsu regains control for a second and asks Gray kill him. The way that the Tenth Prince asked the Fourth Prince to kill him reminded me of that, and thus, the idea for this fic was born! I was actually very surprised at how well I was able to adapt the story of Scarlet Heart with the characters of Fairy Tail...a lot of it just seemed to fall right into place!**

 **As always, thank you for reading! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	58. Chapter 58: Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Gray's eyes slid shut for the final time, and his hand fell to the ground only a few inches from Juvia's own. As his body went limp and tipped onto his back, his hand slid through the dirt, fate cruelly preventing him from touching his wife one last time._

 _His blood covered body stilled, never to move again_.

Lucy drug herself through the dirt towards the body of her best friend, her legs refusing to support her weight and choked sobs escaping her throat as she painstakingly came to kneel between the motionless, bloodied forms of Gray and his wife.

Loke hadn't moved for quite some time, silent tears continuing to stream down his face when his sobbing died out. He kneeled on the other side of Gray, his gaze numbly trained on the blood-splattered arrow that was embedded in his brother's chest.

The King and his soldiers had left soon after Natsu drove his sword through Gray's stomach, and the salmon haired prince had stumbled away not long after that, silent tears numbly streaming down his cheeks as he disappeared from sight. The court lady and orange haired prince were the only two left in the courtyard, but even as light rain began to fall on them, they stayed faithfully by the bodies of their lost loved ones.

With trembling hands, Lucy tentatively placed her hand over Gray's, the one that had been desperately trying to reach Juvia in his last moments of life. It was slick with blood, and her skin was soon tainted with the thick, crimson liquid. But still she hopelessly squeezed onto it, her heart wrenching in pain when she realized that it would never give her the reassuring squeeze back that she desperately needed.

As if to mock her and remind her of the life that she'd been unable to save, memories of the raven haired prince kept flashing through her head, and no matter how much she pleaded for them to stop, they continued to plague her, constricting her throat and sending more tears falling from her eyes and dripping onto Gray's hand.

 _Gray sighed irritably, growing restless and bored of just sitting at a table when he could be off having fun. When Lucy had talked to him about using a snapweed paste to dye his fingernails it had sounded interesting, but he was growing restless and the cloth tied around his index fingers to hold the paste in place was driving him insane._

 _"Luuuucccyyy," Gray complained childishly. "How long do I have to keep these on?"_

 _The blonde didn't even look up at him as she continued grinding more paste, "You're just going to have to wait, Your Highness."_

 _The raven haired prince sighed dramatically before letting his head fall to the rest on the table, but it wasn't long before he grew restless again and threw his head back, "Lucy. My fingers are tingling and it feels like there are insects."_

 _The blonde sighed in annoyance and finally looked up at him, "Please, just be patient and sit there quietly, Prince Gray."_

 _The raven haired boy pouted at her._

 _"They say if the snapweed dye remains until the first snow, your first love will come to you," Lucy grinned softly._

 _"Really?" Gray perked up. He looked at his index fingers happily and smiled to himself, "My first love…"_

Lucy shakily ran the tips of her fingers over his wedding ring, dragging in a trembling breath as her throat seemed to tighten more.

He'd done it. He'd found his first love, true to what she had promised him.

And fate had so cruelly and mercilessly brought both of their lives to a horrid end.

 _Lucy looked back up at the window, realizing that the small figure that had suddenly popped up right in front of her face was what looked like a fairly well made cloth puppet version of herself._

 _"Oh my!" a high pitched voice called out as the puppet bounced. "Those men with no clothes on are the princes!"_

 _Her eyes rolled as a second puppet came into view, this one a puppet version of Gray. She'd had her suspicions when she heard the clearly altered voice before, but she should've known immediately that he would be the one behind something as ridiculous as this._

 _Lucy couldn't help but chuckle at his childishness. Gray briefly peaked through the window, smiling brightly when he caught sight of her softly laughing._

Lucy gently ran the tips of her fingers over his index finger next, uncaring of the blood that she was smearing on herself. Never again would he be there to lighten her burdens when she felt as if she might be crushed beneath their weight. Never again would he be there to make her laugh despite all of the sorrow and evil that threatened to devour them.

 _Lucy reached out and began examining the cloth puppet version of herself, "Where'd you get the idea to do a puppet show? I'm a little bit touched," she laughed. She gave him a thumbs up, "Your Highness, you're awesome."_

 _The prince smiled brightly at her, "I'm relieved to hear that you enjoyed it. I thought you might be feeling down since my sister-in-law's death. By the way," he rested her puppet in the crook of his arm and withdrew his hand to imitate her thumbs up, "what's this?"_

 _"It's meant to tell you that you're awesome. Or the best," she explained simply. "The thumb is the head of the five fingers."_

 _He suddenly looked serious and grabbed her hand to shove her thumb down, "That's not right!"_

 _The blonde's brows slightly furrowed in confusion._

 _"There's the mighty king, so how could I be the best…" He then put up only his index finger, a smug grin on his face, "Maybe I could be this."_

Lucy's focus slowly slid from Gray's face to Loke as the orange haired prince numbly wrapped his hand around the arrow in Gray's chest, his other hand coming to press against where the shaft disappeared into flesh. Every feature of his face was void of any motion except for his eyes, which still silently leaked tears onto his cheeks. The blonde could see her own feelings reflected in them. Sorrow. Rage. Guilt. Denial.

After a few moments of silence to will his body into action and strengthen his resolve, the orange haired prince began to pull.

 _Lucy had grasped onto Gray's leg, causing him to fall to the ground as well._

 _"Really?!" they both glared at the other as they pushed themselves up._

 _As soon as they were standing the two rushed at each other, Lucy grabbing onto Gray's shoulder and short ponytail while the prince fisted one of his hands in her loose hair, the other gripping her upper arm._

 _"Hey, let go of me!"_

 _"No! You let go!"_

 _The two spun in circles as they struggled._

 _"I'm serious let go!"_

 _"You let go!"_

 _"Hey, that hurts!"_

 _Both let out small yelps as their hair was pulled._

The arrow wouldn't come out. No matter how much Loke pulled, it wouldn't move an inch.

But the prince didn't stop trying, his sobs turning into pain filled, soul-shattering shouts as he desperately tried to rid his brother's body of the weapon that had taken his innocent life. It didn't belong there, and he couldn't stand to look at it for a second longer.

And so he continued to tug against it, pulling in every direction in his desperation to get it out.

Lucy let out whimper as the arrow snapped, her eyes squeezing shut and sending more tears dripping onto Gray's hand.

 _"You really prepared all of this?" Gray asked in disbelief as Lucy placed the party hat she'd made for him atop his head. It was crafted of light pink paper, with various ribbons, cherry blossoms, and tassels pasted across it._

 _The blonde gently cleared her throat, "Your Highness. Thank you for being my first friend here in Ishgar. After Yukino passed away, I was comforted thanks to you. So I wanted to give you a special gift."_

 _Gray smiled smugly as he sat himself down at the small table, "Well, I am pretty awesome."_

 _Lucy giggled softly before clearing her throat again, preparing herself to sing Happy Birthday to him._

 _The prince's brows furrowed as she sang, confused by the song. But he hesitantly applauded her when she clapped happily as she reached the end._

 _The blonde laughed at his expression before repeating the song, this time joyfully dancing and skipping around the pavilion. Gray happily joined her, imitating her strange movements with vigor._

The broken shaft of the arrow clattered to the ground from Loke's now limp grasp, and the orange haired prince's torso fell over Gray's body, his angered shouts giving way to pleading sobs as he buried his head in his brother's chest, his knuckles turning white from how tight he was gripping his brother's hanbok. Pulling that one arrow from his chest only to have it snap had completely drained him of his will to get rid of the other arrow that was still embedded in Gray's bicep. It was almost like fate was mocking him, mercilessly showing him that no matter how hard he tried, the head of the arrow would forever remain in Gray's chest, and no matter what he did, his brother wasn't coming back.

Lucy fell on top of the orange haired prince's back in grief, throwing her arms around his shoulders and hopelessly grabbing onto the material of his hanbok as her form was wracked with heart wrenching sobs. It was like her heart had shriveled up in her chest, completely ridding her of the ability to feel emotion, leaving only physical, suffocating hurt behind.

Their broken weeping echoed through the empty courtyard, the only other noise being the soft patter of rain on the blood covered dirt beneath them as they mourned their losses.

 _A small, reassuring smile spread across Lucy's lips as she moved to sit next to Gray on the bed, "I could never hate you, Your Highness, and I never did. I don't think that either of us really knew where our feelings were headed back then anyways. We were too inexperienced to really be able to distinguish between the different types of affection. But I think that everything's turned out alright though, hasn't it? We've both gotten over the wrongs that we committed one another in the past and now we want to fix things."_

 _Gray lightly chuckled to himself, "Why did I ever think that'd you say no?" He held up his index finger, a smug grin on his face as he said, "You're still the best, Lucy."_

 _The blonde burst into giggles, having forgot about their special hand gesture over the years. Just like always, Gray was able to cheer her up in the midst of seemingly unending, suffocating misery._

 _The prince was laughing too, taking a few moments to calm down before he softly continuing speaking with a small smile on his lips, "I…I don't know if we'll ever see one another again after Juvia and I leave, but…if we ever do, let's treat each other like best friends again, okay? Let's do the things we used to, like making the snapweed pastes and the puppet shows and the birthday parties. Everything's changed so much in just three years, and I'm sure that things will continue to change. But let's both promise that our friendship will always stay the same, okay?"_

 _A bright smile spread across Lucy's face and a small laugh escaped her lips, "Of course, Your Highness. We'll stay best friends for all time, no matter what happens."_

* * *

Makarov ran through the halls of the palace as fast as his small, weary legs would carry him, his sword clutched in his hand as he prayed that he wasn't already too late.

He'd been searching for Juvia and Gray for days, scouring every inch of the forests and villages around the charred remains of what had once been their home. But after nearly five days without any indication as to where his granddaughter and her husband were, he'd dejectedly started back to the palace, feeling overwhelmingly disheartened and trying to force himself to accept the fact that he might never see his dear granddaughter and grandson-in-law, who he had come to love despite the prince's mischievous personality, ever again. He supposed he would rather not know where they were though instead having found them dead. Not knowing where they were provided some security in the sense that if they couldn't be found by him, then they might never be found by the people that sought to take their lives.

But then he'd returned to the palace, immediately catching wind of a battle that was taking place in the courtyard, one between the two people he'd been desperately searching for and the soldiers of the man that he wanted to protect them from.

The old man hadn't hesitated a second before sprinting off towards the court yard, his heart filling with an inexplicable sense of dread as he got closer, but heard no sounds of battle.

He slid to a stop when he saw Natsu stumbling down the hallway towards him, leaning heavily on the wall as he tried to remain on his feet. His eyes were unfocused, and his hand trembled, knuckles white as he clutched onto his sword, which slowly dripped blood onto the floor.

Makarov's eyes widened when he saw the blood that was splattered across the right side of Natsu's face, the dread in his heart growing as he took off down the hallway once again.

* * *

Lucy was still clutching onto Gray's hand when Makarov flew into the courtyard, but she'd stopped crying long ago, her focus numbly trained on the raven haired prince's face.

She didn't even look to the old man when he let out a sorrowful cry of his granddaughter's name as he slid to his knees next to her bloodied, motionless form.

Loke had stopped crying too, his blood covered hands resting palms up in his lap as he blankly stared up at the sky. The broken shafts of the two arrows laid in the dirt next to him, frantically tossed aside in his desperate attempts to get them out of Gray's body.

As he gently cradled Juvia's head in his lap, Makarov let out soft, broken, bitter laughs, "I once said to her, 'Prince Jellal is handsome. Prince Loke is talented in martial arts.' I told her to marry one of the two. But this girl…she insisted on marrying Prince Gray…She said he was her first love…"

A single tear slid down Lucy's cheek, even though she thought she had long since cried herself dry.

The Grand General's voice became small, smaller than the blonde could have ever imagined she would hear him sound, "If only I'd known that this would happen. I would've stopped her." A soft smile formed on his face, "But I suppose she would've still married him even if she knew this would happen. My granddaughter was that kind of girl…She is true to herself and doesn't know how to change…" He slowly lifted his gaze to the blonde court lady, "Lucy…let me ask you just one thing…My granddaughter…did she receive lots of love from the prince?"

Lucy swallowed in an attempt to ease the tightness that had been relentlessly building in her throat, a small sob escaping her as she quietly responded, "Y-yes…a lot. They loved each other very, very much."

A watery smile appeared on the old man's face, "That's enough, then. That's enough…" He looked back down to his granddaughter, tears beginning to drip from his eyes onto her pale face, "I'm sorry, Juvia. Now, your grandfather…There was nothing more your grandfather could have done for you." His bitter laughter gave way to choked, restrained sobbing his thumbs slowly stroked across his granddaughter's cheeks.

Lucy's focus slowly dragged over to Loke when she caught sight of his fists tightening in his lap.

The prince's expression was quivering in fury as he ground out, "I'll kill him. Natsu…I'll kill him." He quickly grabbed the sword that laid in the dirt next to him, the one that Gray had used as he desperately fought to protect his wife in their last moments.

The orange haired prince moved to run in the direction that the salmon haired prince had disappeared, but Lucy hurriedly snatched his wrist with both hands from where she kneeled, her eyes wide as she pleaded with him, "N-no…you can't."

He looked own at her, his breathes quickening and his voice rising in anger as he repeated, "I'll kill him. Natsu killed Gray, Lucy. Before he ends up killing everyone, I'll kill him first!"

"He wanted it!" the blonde hopelessly shouted back, tears starting to stream down her cheeks once again at full force. "Prince Gray, he wanted it!" She rested her forehead against where she grasped onto him, fighting through sobs to continue reasoning with him, "It's not Prince Natsu's fault…He's…he's falling apart because of it, too."

Loke's hands tightened around the hilt for a moment before his grasp went limp, the sword clattering to the dirt as he let out a frustrated, broken scream.

Guards were suddenly filing into the courtyard, heading straight for the three who were mourning over over the dead prince and his wife. They roughly grabbed onto their arms before any of them could do a thing about it, forcefully dragging them away from Gray and Juvia's bodies. Makarov and Loke fought like hell against them, desperately shouting and kicking their limbs about. But they were too exhausted and overwhelmed by grief to escape the tight grip that the soldiers had on them.

Lucy numbly let them drag her drag her out of the courtyard, her frame still trembling with sobs as she was pulled further and further away from the bodies of her best friend and his wife.

* * *

Natsu slowed to a halt in front of the doors to the throne room, his eyes numbly trained on them as his mind finally began to come out of the numbed state he'd gone into as soon as he drove his sword through his little brother's stomach.

Laxus was just beyond these doors, he was positive of that. And the King was surely pompously lounging about in his golden throne, completely unfazed by the fact that he had just watched one his brothers murder another, one who was completely innocent.

The sound of footsteps rang through the hall as Gildarts ran towards him, but the astronomer staggered to a stop as he got closer, his eyes widening in disbelief as Natsu's blood splattered face and sword came into focus.

The salmon haired prince didn't give the man a chance to question him about it though, his eyes still trained on the doors to the throne room and his voice monotone as he began, "Gildarts…It seems…that I must become one who murders his brothers after all. You once told me that if a person wants change, they must fight back against their master and become the one who rules the house. So I'm finally going to do it. I'll kill Laxus, and take the throne. I'll become King of Ishgar…for Gray."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Natsu finally wants to become King! He's been back and forth on the matter for quite some time, but what Laxus did to Gray has finally made him decide to do it!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	59. Chapter 59: Graves

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Gray is dead. Both him and his wife. With this, Lady Ur's revolt is no longer just a fabrication. The people will accept it as fact."

As he heavily settled onto his throne, Laxus missed the way Sting's fists clenched at his words.

The King ran his hands over the swirls that'd been carved into this golden seat, a smirk forming on his face, "This should get all of the powerful families to act in their best interests. They won't be able to bring themselves to protest my commands for quite some time because they fear they will face the same fate as Lady Ur's family. So let's not hesitate. We should move the capital city to Crocus while they're being obedient."

* * *

Jellal's head whipped around when a twig snapped behind him, letting out a relieved breath when he realized that it'd just been Lucy. The blonde court lady had let out a wince herself when the sharp noise echoed through the forest, her eyes squeezing shut and her shoulders tensing.

What they were doing was incredibly risky. They'd managed to sneak Lucy out of the palace, something that was heavily punishable given her position as head court lady. If anyone were to find out about it, they would surely be tortured and executed.

Jellal had accompanied the blonde court lady and Loke into the forest that rested just on the borders of Magnolia, the moon their only source of light in the dark night. Bringing along lanterns would be too dangerous. They didn't want to risk being seen by thieves that lurked in the dark forest or worse, soldiers of the King.

They'd brought along only one item each. The two princes each carried a shovel, and the blonde court lady held two large bundles of white daylilies wrapped in a wet piece of a fabric.

Jellal's heart dropped when they finally found what they'd been looking for. He'd heard about what had happened, but he'd been hoping and praying with every fiber of his being that it was all some elaborate, sick joke that everyone played a part in. But the two bodies that'd been thrown into the clearing they'd just entered mercilessly sent reality crushing down on him.

Gray had been labeled a traitor by the King, therefore prohibiting the raven haired prince and his wife from being buried in the royal family cemetery. Their bodies had been thrown into the middle of the forest, left to be eaten by crows and any other wild animal that happened upon them.

But Lucy, Loke, and Jellal refused to let that happen. The couple deserved a proper burial after the joyous, peaceful, and caring lives they'd lived. They'd been the victims of a horrid and cruel death, but Lucy and the two princes wanted to insure that they got the respect they deserved in the end.

With aching hearts, Loke and Jellal began to dig.

Lucy silently lowered herself onto her knees next to Gray's motionless body, gently setting down the two bundles of white daylilies and unwrapping the wet fabric from around them. She took the material into her trembling hands, and softly began to the clean the blood off her best friend's body.

* * *

Natsu quietly stood on the balcony of Gildarts' study, gazing at the stars whilst his mind was still consumed by the horrendous crime he'd committed that morning.

Jellal quietly came to stand next to him, his thoughts focused on the same event. His voice was quiet and somewhat hoarse as he began, "They…they won't hold a funeral for them, because Gray has been labeled as a traitor…We've been ordered not to wear our mourning clothes. Anyone who does will be executed."

The salmon haired prince's head lowered, his gaze falling to the floor. But still, he said nothing.

"Gray and Juvia can't be buried in the royal family cemetery…Their bodies were thrown outside the palace to become crows' food…Loke, Lucy, and I…we went out in secret and buried them." His voice grew more choked as he recalled the memory. Moving his brother and sister-in-law's bodies into the grave he and Loke had dug and burying them under layers of dirt was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. They'd stayed by the grave for hours after they'd finished, only leaving once Lucy had finally managed to bring herself to place the two bundles of white daylilies atop the uneven pile of dirt. "Loke couldn't get the arrows out of Gray's body. He…he had to break them off."

"Gray…" Natsu softly started, a small, regretful smile forming on his face, "…he still remembered that birthday. The one where he asked me to remove my mask…Even I had completely forgotten about it. He said…he said death was a gift that only I could give him."

Jellal swallowed heavily as he turned to his brother, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Gray would be thankful for what you did for him today."

* * *

Lucy sniffled and whimpered as she slowly lowered herself to her knees on the shore of the lake that rested on the edge of the palace's land. Her right knee ached because of the cold night, but she desperately needed to get Gray's blood off of her hands.

It was late, and she was exhausted in every aspect of her existence. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep tonight, or any of the coming nights for that matter. What had happened today would haunt her for years to come, and she didn't know how she was going to get herself to come to terms with it. She'd hoped that giving Gray and Juvia a proper burial would help, but she couldn't stop thinking about how cruel and unfair the whole situation was, even if Gray had accepted and even _asked_ for death in the end.

There was a rustling in the grass behind her, and her eyes widened when she turned to find Natsu standing just a few feet behind her.

The salmon haired prince was silent for a moment, blankly staring at her as if to gauge her reaction. He shakily inhaled, his voice quiet as he started, "Now I must look like a demon in your eyes, too. I killed Gray."

Lucy pushed herself to her feet and shortened the distance in between them, shaking her head softly, "He asked you to do it. It was a hard choice to make…but I know that you did it for him."

He dropped his gaze to the ground, his fists beginning to clench, "Why didn't you tell me that he was in the palace, Lucy? It's because you didn't trust me, right? You didn't say anything because you worried that I might kill Gray."

The blonde court lady lowered her gaze to the ground as well, her voice barely above a whisper as she admitted, "Yes. That's why. I was so worried about Gray and Juvia…But, I was also worried about you. I was worried that you might have to do something terrible because the King's orders. He'd already ordered you to find them and kill them, so I thought that if I could prevent you from knowing where they were and they escaped, everything would turn out alright." She tentatively raised her gaze back to his, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "I didn't realize that I would only end up hurting you more until it was too late…I trust you, Your Highness. I know it took me some time, but I really do love you. I trust you no matter what."

Natsu was silent for a moment, his inner conflict apparent through his expression as he prepared his next words, "Lucy…I don't feel the same way."

The blonde court lady's eyes widened, her brows furrowing in confusion. What did he mean he didn't feel the same way? They'd been somewhat of a couple for nearly two years. After all that they had been through, how could he say something like that?

The prince clenched his jaw, his voice bordering on the edge of fury, "Every time I look at you…I'll be reminded of what happened because of the lack of trust you had in me when it mattered the most. Gray died because of you. I'll remember how I had to kill him. In order to save you…I became the King's dog, and my feelings for you remained the same. But now...they've changed. So let's stop this whole thing between us now, before we both get hurt again."

As he turned to leave, Lucy caught sight of something akin to regret and pain in his eyes. She took a desperate step forward, her voice quiet, "You're lying."

He turned back to her, whatever emotion she'd thought she saw in his eyes gone, replaced by a glare. He looked like the man he'd been when she first met him, the one who threatened to kill her on more than one occasion. His voice was filled with spite, so much so that it seemed to physically sting the blonde court lady, "We promised we'd never lie to each other, didn't we? Even if you broke my trust, I'm not going to break our promise."

As he stalked away into the darkness of the night, tears silently fell down Lucy's cheeks for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

* * *

Natsu had to rely heavily on the railing as he dragged himself up the stairs to Gildarts' study.

Lucy had been crying, and it tore him apart inside to know that he was the cause.

He had in fact broken their promise to never tell a lie.

But he had to do it. He would push her away from him even if it killed him to do it. For her sake.

* * *

"Fourth Prince Natsu. Gray, a brother you favored, committed treason."

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw as he kneeled before the throne, watching Laxus smirk as he spoke, completely unfazed by the fact that he was talking about his own dead brother.

"You worked hard in executing him along with his wife."

From where he stood amidst the royal counselors and administers, Makarov glared at the King, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was clenching his fists.

The rest of the men in the room stared at the salmon haired prince like he was monster, murmuring about how sickened they were by the fact that he murdered his own brother.

"In reward for your service, I'm giving you land for farming and a home near Magnolia. But first, I'm sending you to Crocus. You'll be in charge of the construction of the new palace."

Natsu had no physical reaction, his face blank as he simply replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll work hard to repay you for your trust."

* * *

Laxus ran his hands over the gold of his throne, rolling his eyes and sighing irritably as he waited for his youngest brother to speak.

Loke had refused to leave the throne room after the meeting had ended, but he hadn't said a word, simply glaring up at the King as his right fist continuously clenched and unclenched around something that the King couldn't see. He was wearing a black hanbok as opposed to the brightly colored clothes he usually wore, and there were dark circles under his normally vibrant eyes.

When he finally did speak, his voice was hoarse and full of spite, "How can you just sit there smirking like that after spilling all of that blood?"

The King rolled his eyes again, scoffing, "It's difficult to sit on the throne without spilling the blood of at least of few. You should be careful, little brother. There's only so much I'll let you get away with."

"I'll be going back to commanding the army soon. I can't stand being in this palace for a second longer, so you don't have to concern yourself with me."

"You do that then. However, think of mother and avoid the front lines. I can't lose her support because I sent you away to be killed. So stay within the safety of your troops."

Loke clenched his jaw, "I've lived like a coward many times, and now look at what has happened because I was too weak to do a thing. So no, I won't stay within the safety of my troops. If I lose my life, then so be it. And if you lose mother's support because of it, then I know I won't have died in vain." He paused, holding up his right hand for his brother to see. In his grasp were the shafts of two broken, bloodied arrows, "These are from Gray."

As the orange haired prince turned to leave, he let the shafts slip from his hand

Laxus stared at them as they clattered to the floor, letting out a deep sigh as his brother slammed the throne room doors shut behind him.

" _Laxus!"_

The King's head whipped around at the cry, his eyes widening as he recognized the voice as Gray's.

" _Please let us go, Laxus!"_

The servant the stood beside the throne watched on in confusion as Laxus' head whipped around as if looking for someone in the empty throne room, his eyes wide and his face growing pale.

* * *

Makarov scanned his eyes over the men that he'd called to meet with him, sighing deep his throat as he thought over what they were about to start.

Jellal seemed a bit confused as to why he had been invited to this meeting, his eyes shifting between the other three men to get a clue of what was going on.

Gildarts had come as well, his hands humbly clutched in front of him as he waited for the conversation to start.

The Grand General turned to Natsu, the last member of their gathering, "So…Gildarts tells me that you want to become King."

Jellal's eyes widened, his gaze to turning to his older brother.

The salmon haired prince nodded, "I don't just want to do it. I'm _going_ to do it no matter what it takes. I won't let Laxus get away with what he did to Gray and Juvia."

Makarov nodded his head too, another solemn sigh escaping him, "Gildarts has been saying for quite some time that you were born under the star of a king, Your Highness. That's what your late father, King Igneel, had said too. That's why he sent you to train with me."

"Star of a king?" Natsu quirked a brow and scoffed. "I don't believe in those things. But still, I'll become king. If I have to be forced to kill because of the throne…then I'll become the ruler of that throne and put a stop to it. I won't give up unless I die." He scanned his eyes over the three men that were gathered with him, "Whether you decide to aid me or not…you should decide now."

Jellal gave him a reassuring smile, "I was born your younger brother, so my loyalties have already been set. I'm in."

Gildarts nodded, "I'm the one who said you were going to become king, right? So I should take responsibility for what I claimed. I'll die by your side, Your Highness."

Natsu turned his gaze to the final man, the Grand General.

The old man let out a deep sigh, "Well then, should we get started?"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Ahahaha The fun begins! We've officially got people taking sides and plotting against one another!**

 **Also, Laxus is going insane and hearing the voice of his dead brother. He's starting to get what he deserves for killing Gray and Juvia.**

 **And do any of you have any predictions as to why Natsu lied and told Lucy that he didn't love her anymore?**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	60. Chapter 60: An Unpleasant Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _"I'm so sorry, Lucy. Natsu has already left for Crocus. He's been put in charge of the construction of the new palace, and he won't be back for some time."_

Jellal's words kept playing over and over in the blonde's head, her denial sending her running through the palace in search of the salmon haired prince. But he was nowhere to be found.

She hurriedly ran to the very last place he could possibly be, the lake that rested on the edge of the palace's land. And the truth of Jellal's words finally came crushing down on her when she processed that he was nowhere in sight.

Her heart seemed to fall to pieces in her chest.

He couldn't just leave after what he had done to a few nights ago.

He couldn't just leave after suddenly throwing her aside without any explanation.

He couldn't just leave without saying goodbye…because even if he didn't love her anymore, she still desperately loved him.

* * *

 _Three years later. Year 948. Laxus' third year of reign._

Lucy gently caught a falling cherry blossom, her gaze solemnly focused on the boat that rested in one of the lake's alcoves. It hadn't been moved from this spot in over three years, not since Natsu had left the palace.

She had watched twelve seasons come and go while waiting for him to return, each spring hoping that the salmon haired prince would return so they could they could go on a boat ride like they had done once before.

But she hadn't heard any news of him since the day he left. He could be dead for all she knew, a scary thought considering that the chances of such a thing being true were quite high considering who their king was. But from what she knew, Laxus hadn't laid a hand on any of the other princes since the day he killed Gray, so she hoped and prayed with every fiber of her being that wherever Natsu was, he was safe, and alive.

"Court Lady Lucy! Court Lady Lucy!"

The blonde was pulled out of her thoughts as Levy came running down the path that ran along the edge of the lake, her hanbok clutched in her hands and a bright smile on her face.

As the small court lady came to stop just in front her, Lucy gave her friend a soft smile, "I told you not to run, Levy. You're an upper court lady now, so you should be dignified."

"That doesn't matter right now!" Levy happily bounced on the balls of her feet, "You should get back to the palace! Someone you'll be happy to see is here!"

"What?"

"It's been three years since he's been to the palace, so of course you'll want to see him as soon as possible, right? He's waiting in your office, so get going!"

Lucy's eyes widened. Natsu…it had to be him.

As the blonde took off running towards the palace, Levy rolled her eyes, joking to herself, "Just look at her…And she told _me_ not to run…"

* * *

Lucy hurriedly threw the doors to her room open, her steps slowing to a stop when it was a head of orange hair that greeted her instead of salmon like she'd been anticipating.

The blonde couldn't help the disappointment that flashed across her face, but she supposed it didn't matter much because the prince wasn't facing her anyways. Loke was looking out the window, his hands clasped behind his back as his eyes scanned over the palace garden that rested just outside. His armor was shining in the dim sunlight, and he carried himself with more dignity and honor than she'd ever known him to possess before. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been an absolute wreck because of what had happened to Gray and Juvia, but now he fit the title of Grand General in both skill and appearance.

Lucy let out a small sigh, a gentle smile forming on her face as she moved to stand beside the orange haired prince and bow to him. She might have been hoping for Natsu, but she was happy to see Loke nonetheless.

He returned her grin, "It's been a long time, Lucy."

"Yeah…it certainly has."

* * *

Lucy quietly watched on as Loke took a sip of the tea she'd brewed for him, the prince letting out a content sigh as he set the teacup back on the table.

He gently smiled at her, "I came two days ahead of my army so I could meet with you and drink this tea. And of course, you never disappoint." His pleasant expression faded a small fraction, his smile turning more reminiscent, "I stopped by Gray and Juvia's graves before I came. I showed off to my sister-in-law. She may have been the better soldier when we were young, but now I can do a lot more than she ever did."

Lucy let out a small, breathy laugh. Loke hadn't changed one bit. "You're a grand general now…Don't you think that's a little low of you?"

"Juvia was never one to shy away from showing off in front of me, so I had to make sure that I returned the favor." Loke paused to take another sip of tea, "I was worried that you might have left the palace while I was away."

Lucy let out a light scoff, "Where would I go?"

"What about marriage? You're not planning on getting married at some point? A court lady can leave the palace if she gets married. It's what you've always wanted."

The blonde pursed her lips, "Getting married means that I spend the rest of my life doing nothing other than taking care of my husband and our house." A small smile reappeared on her face, "I'm going to stay here until I get older, then I'll retire. I'll go to the desert to ride camels and to the ocean to sail to distant lands. I'll go somewhere far away from Ishgar, and forget about all that happened in this palace. That way, I can die in peace."

* * *

Lucy and Loke paused in their stroll as they saw Jellal walking down the hall towards them, a scarlet haired girl dressed in a light blue hanbok at the blue haired prince's side.

A bright smile spread across Jellal's face as he caught sight of his brother, "Wow, Loke! How long has it been? I heard you lead our army to victory against Stella."

The orange haired prince only gave a small nod of his head, his brows furrowing slightly in confusion as his gaze turned to the scarlet haired girl at Jellal's side.

She respectfully bowed to him when she noticed that his attention was on her, "My name's Erza. It's nice to meet you, Your Highness."

"She's the highest court lady at Magnolia's gyobang," Lucy continued the introduction with a small smile on her face. "She's been coming to the palace to retrieve tea for the Buddhist mass."

"Gyobang?" Loke thought out loud, his expression filling with disgust and his voice with spite as realization seemed to dawn on him, "Ah, you're that former gisaeng, aren't you?" His glare turned to his brother, "As always, you keep bad company, Jellal. First a murderer, and now a prostitute."

Jellal's smile faded, and the pleasant atmosphere immediately vanished at the orange haired prince's words.

After Bosco had been conquered by Ishgar, its citizens had almost immediately been thrown into poverty, Erza included. They'd needed to do whatever they could to survive, and for the scarlet haired girl, that meant becoming a gisaeng, and she even continued on with the practice after her failed attempt at getting revenge for her people. But she'd _never_ been the type of gisaeng that allowed men to use her body for pleasure. She'd only performed her sword dance at gatherings, occasionally swapping out her blades for a fan. She'd held a sword to the throat of any man that so much as _looked_ at her the wrong way, and she probably would have stabbed any man that had tried to advance on her.

Jellal's jaw clenched, "Watch your mouth, brother."

"Be careful of Natsu," Loke ground out. "He may come after you one day. He's already killed one of his brothers, so who's to say he won't do it again? And stop sending that performer to my troops to spy on me. I know he's there because of you, so it's pointless to prolong your idiotic game any longer." He confidently continued down the hallway, roughly bumping his shoulder against his brother's as he passed.

Jellal huffed out a breath, "That idiot…how did he know?" He turned to Erza with a small smile, "He sure is quick."

The red haired girl returned the grin, "He may Grand General, but there's certainly something cute about him."

"I told you! He is cute, isn't he?"

Lucy's brows furrowed as she watched the two. Loke had just openly insulted them both…and here there were, smiling and calling him cute.

She confusedly asked the first of her many questions, "Wait…so you really did send someone to spy on him?"

"I was just worried about him and wanted to make sure he was doing alright. He may be a Grand General now, but nothing will change the fact that he's my little brother. The idiot's just become too paranoid." Jellal paused to sigh, but he was soon springing back into conversation, "What about Natsu? Which room is he in?"

Lucy's grin slowly faded, her mind slow to process his last words, "Natsu…is here?"

* * *

Grandeeny's lips pressed into a thin line as she entered her son's room, the cacophony of noises raucously echoing throughout the room and causing her ears to pound.

Laxus was kneeling before a candlelit alter, one hand continuously beating a small gong whilst the other rang a handheld bell as he prayed. His irritated, swollen eyes were clenched shut, his torso warily swaying about as he mumbled quietly to himself.

"Laxus," The Queen called out over the noise as she moved closer to her son.

The King only continued to pray, his beating of the gong gaining speed.

"Your Majesty. Loke's returned to the palace. Make your decision!"

When he didn't respond again, she quickly crouched down and snatched one his wrists, and finally, the room was silent.

"Laxus, make Loke the Crown Prince," Grandeeny urged. Her oldest son had grown weary as insanity began to eat away at his mind. He was soon going to be unfit to rule, and she wanted to insure that one of her sons would be on the throne no matter what.

The King's unfocused eyes wandered about the room, his voice uncharacteristically weak as he quietly asked, "Mother…what do you see me as? Do you really see me as a person? Or am I just an animal? You must not see me as your son…" his voice grew louder in anger, "…but as boar that you sacrifice in order to get to the throne!" He lost himself in mad laughter for a moment, "I mean…it's not as if I'm going to die soon, right? Yet you've been nagging me for years!" His chuckling died out, his eyes widening as he turned to face his mother, "Loke…he's after the throne, isn't he?"

"Your Majesty, Prince Natsu is here to see you."

As the voice called out from the hallway, Grandeeny slowly stood, her lips quivering in fury as she glared down at her oldest son.

Natsu quietly entered just as Laxus dissolved into insane laughter once again, "If you're so paranoid mother, then I'll make Natsu the Crown Prince. Loke and Natsu are both your sons, so you'd get what you wanted, right?"

"Don't even suggest such a thing! We'll discuss this later!" the Queen shouted back, her jaw clenching as she brushed past Natsu and through the doors, not even sparing her salmon haired son a glance.

As they closed behind her, Laxus turned to smirk at his younger brother, "You're still useful in many ways. I'll definitely be keeping you around for a long, long time."

* * *

The doors to the Laxus' room didn't remain closed for long. Lucy quietly walked through them, a tray of tea in her hands. She momentarily paused in her steps when she saw that Natsu was in the room, getting her first glimpse of him after three long years. She wanted to scream at him, punch him, and kiss him all at the same time. But she forced herself to ignore him and moved to kneel beside the King, setting her tray on the table before him. She would definitely be talking to the salmon haired prince later, she would make sure of that. Now, in front of the King, definitely wasn't the time for such a confrontation.

"What's so important about a few dead slaves that you would stop construction again?!" As Lucy went about preparing and pouring his tea, Laxus continued to quietly mumble, more to himself than to his brother, "The land in Magnolia is growing weaker. The royal family line is in danger. The priests and shamans have all confirmed it!"

Natsu kept his gaze steadily trained on his brother's face, not even glancing at Lucy, "We're lacking manpower. We don't have enough supplies, so the best option is for people to work one day and rest the next."

Laxus suddenly snatched a teacup out Lucy's hand, hurtling it towards Natsu with a furious shout.

It merely bounced off his chest before shattering on the floor, but the action was enough to alarm both Natsu and Lucy. Laxus was incredibly unstable, and they knew that one small act of violence could quickly lead into more, each action growing more lethal than the last.

And he didn't wait long before continuing down that dangerous path. His hand flew the air to fist in the front of Lucy's hanbok, and he roughly tugged her closer to him. The court lady let out a small whimper as his other hand wound around her wrist, and with all of his strength, the King began to squeeze.

Other than the clenching of his fists, the salmon haired prince didn't move.

Laxus didn't take his glare off of Natsu as he continued to harm the blonde, his voice deadly calm, "If you don't have enough manpower, then do not let them sleep! If you're lacking supplies, then steal them if you must!"

Lucy failed to restrain another whimper as the King continued to tighten his grip on her wrist, her jaw clenching as the weak sound escaped her lips. It felt like her wrist was going to snap at any second.

Natsu was suddenly on his knees, his torso bent forward in a pleading bow, "I've committed a grave crime, Your Majesty. Please…let us continue this conversation on our own."

Laxus continued to squeeze for a second more before roughly throwing Lucy aside, uncaring as the blonde was sent flying into a vase, sending it to shatter against the floor.

In her haste to stand and get out of the room, Lucy cut her hands on the shards that the littered the floor behind her, streaking them with red. But she didn't even flinch when they sliced her flesh, desperate to get out of the room not for own sake, but because she didn't want Laxus to use her to get to Natsu for a second more.

As she slipped through the doors, she missed the way that Natsu's body seemed to finally relax, his forehead pressing against the floor as a relieved breath escaped his lips.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Ah, yes...another time skip.**

 **And wow! We've reached sixty chapters...we've come a long way.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	61. Chapter 61: An Explanation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he gazed at the lake. This had always been his favorite part of the palace, and now he had even more reason to treasure it due the memories of a certain blonde that had been made here.

It'd been six years since he first brought Lucy to the lake, and he smiled as he recalled the memory.

 _"What is this place?" Lucy asked Natsu as she gazed around them in wonder._

 _"It's a lake called Dongji," the prince replied. "In the palace, it is the first place where the sun rises."_

 _"What kind of place is the palace?" the blonde curiously inquired._

 _"A place that's hard to enter, and even harder to leave. You end up dying if you trust anyone. You only live if you remain alert and stay wary of those closest to you. Everyone here is alone. That's one thing I know for certain."_

 _Lucy only continued to smile, "I'm not alone, so I'm alright."_

 _"You're not alone?" he glanced curiously at her._

 _"You're here, Your Highness. So how am I alone?" She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world._

So much had changed since those days, some of which Natsu was grateful for. He and the blonde had become best friends, and after a few more years, their relationship had started to develop into something more.

 _"Y-Your Highness?" Lucy hesitantly called to the prince, seemingly taking a nap in a small rowboat that had been secured in a small cove underneath the shade of a nearby tree. But he made no move, so she carefully made her way around the small cove, trying to get to the point where the boat was most easily accessible. She gathered her skirt in her hands as she had to climb over various roots and rocks to do so, muttering to herself, "When did he put this thing here?"_

 _She carefully stepped onto the boat, and it rocked a bit with her movement._

 _Natsu's eyes remained closed, his head and feet resting on the seats of the boat and his arms folded over his chest._

 _"A-are…are you asleep?" Lucy asked gently as she tentatively made her way over the seat that his feet were resting on._

 _The boat rocked unsteadily again when her feet settled next to Natsu's waist, and she couldn't gain her balance. Her arms flailed wildly as she began to teeter over the edge._

 _A hand suddenly latched firmly around her wrist, and pulled her in the opposite direction, saving her from tipping into the water and sending her falling straight onto Natsu's chest._

 _The salmon haired prince instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she landed, his heart beginning to beat wildly as she lay on top of him._

 _Lucy's heart was sporadically beating as well, and her cheeks grew warm as she stared into Natsu's onyx orbs with wide eyes._

 _The prince seemed just as surprised at their position as she did, his expression mirroring her own._

Things had certainly been awkward at first. Neither had much experience when it came to love, and Natsu in particular had been an absolute mess when it came to figuring out how things were going to work between the two of them.

 _Natsu let out a small laugh, his head falling forward for a brief moment before he looked back to the blonde, "What are you doing to me, Lucy?"_

 _"W-what?"_

 _"Every time I talk to you, all of my burdens seem to become lighter. I don't know how I survived a year away from you."_

 _Lucy stared at him in silence for a moment, only breaking out of her still state when he was suddenly leaning towards her. She brought her hand up in front of his mouth, her fingers pressing against his lips as she rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Didn't you say that you'd get my permission?"_

 _He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand aside, smiling brightly at her as he excitedly asked, "Can I do it?"_

 _She put her hand back over his mouth, pushing his head away, "No, you can't."_

 _He cleared his throat, clasping his hands in his lap as his eyes began to wander._

 _They sat in silence for a moment before Lucy caught sight of him leaning towards her once more in her peripherals. She pushed him away again, her hand landing in the center of his face and smashing his nose. "You just said that you wouldn't and you were going to do it, weren't you?" she scolded._

Natsu let out a small chuckle as he recalled the memory. She'd ended up kissing him later that night anyways after she had caused such a fuss, and that had been the last time they'd kissed one another. Everything went to hell after that night. Zeref had been killed soon after, and Laxus had forcefully taken hold of the throne, the new King not wasting a second before setting out to murder Gray and Juvia.

Natsu felt horrible for pushing Lucy away right after all of that had happened, but he'd done for her safety. For the sake of Ishgar's future and all of its people, he desperately needed to get Laxus off of the throne, and the only way to do that was to become King himself. And no matter how much support he had, the path to the throne was going to be incredibly dangerous, and survival was far from assured. He couldn't drag Lucy down that path with him when the chances of failure and death were so high. He'd also hoped that if he acted like he no longer loved the blonde, Laxus would eventually come to believe it too, and then maybe he would stop using her against him.

But what had happened earlier today had blatantly slashed his hopes. Laxus could've broken Lucy's wrist by how hard he was gripping her, and then he'd thrown her into the vase.

Natsu had barely managed to contain himself when Laxus first grabbed onto the blonde court lady, and his furious desire to lunge at the King only grew stronger when he saw the blood that coated the broken shards after she had cut her hands on the remains of the shattered vase.

It suddenly didn't matter that he'd done so well at distancing himself from her over the last three years, and he'd thrown all that he'd been working for aside in that moment. The limits of what he was willing to do for the blonde had been tested, and he loved her too much to simply watch on as the King hurt her, even if he'd pledged himself to pushing her away. Like always, all that mattered to him was that she was safe, and he would do whatever he could to make sure that things always stayed that way.

There was a rustling in the dry grass behind him, and he didn't have to turn around to know who it was. But he did anyways, unable to resist the urge to get his first good look at Lucy in three years.

Like always, she was stunningly beautiful. Her golden hair was aglow in the sunlight, and her eyes, which were timidly focused on ground, shone with wisdom and knowledge beyond her years. Their brown depths told stories of all the trials that she'd been through, but it didn't make her look tired and weary like it might've with others. Instead, it only made her more stunning, acting as a testament to her endurance and perseverance.

But no matter how much he wanted to be with her, he couldn't let himself go to her. He'd vowed to make her safety a priority, and no matter how much it killed him, he would stick by that vow.

* * *

Gajeel scoffed as he came to a stop next to Laxus, peering over the railing of the balcony to look at the couple who stood only a short distance away on the edge of the lake. It didn't look as if they were talking, only gazing at one another in silence.

"Just look at them," he snarled in disgust. "I told you that you can't trust Natsu. He goes off and meets with your court ladies in private."

Laxus turned his gaze to the couple as well, "He'll be useful if I pull on his collar just right."

"Didn't you once say that those two no longer have feelings for each other, so using her against him won't be effective?"

"I did confirm that they didn't send one another a single letter while Natsu was in Crocus. But how Natsu reacted earlier today when I hurt Lucy is questionable."

Gajeel quirked a brow, an intrigued grin appearing on his face, "Then why don't we make sure? Slaves only work hard if you give them a good whipping every now and then."

A smirk tugged at the corners of the King's lips, and he held his hand out to the side, wrapping his fingers around his bow when it was placed in his grasp.

* * *

"Wait," Natsu called out when Lucy started to take a step closer to him. He took a moment to breathe and prepare himself for the conversation that was coming. He'd already had to break her heart once, and he was dreading having to do it again. "It…it would've been better if you hadn't come, Lucy."

He saw the way she flinched at his words, but his gaze was drawn to the side when he saw movement. His eyes widened and his heart threatened to cease beating when he saw Laxus standing atop a nearby balcony, bow in hand with an arrow notched and aiming for Lucy's back.

The King let the arrow fly, and Natsu lunged for the blonde, wrapping his arms around her and spinning them so that the sharp projectile grazed his bicep rather than striking its intended target. They fell to the ground, Natsu making sure to orient their bodies so that he was beneath her to cushion the fall. They'd been in a situation like this before, with her laying on top of him. And just like the last time, no matter how much they wanted to stay like this, they were both desperate to get out of it due to the uncomfortable atmosphere that had grown between them over the last three years.

Natsu quickly shoved the blonde off of him, pushing himself up and grasping at the new cut on his arm.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the blood that seeped through his fingers and she was quickly sitting up as well, her hands immediately going to his wound, "Are you alright?"

He roughly shook her off as he saw Laxus approaching them out of the corner of his eye, Gajeel following at the King's right flank.

They both stood when the King addressed them, Lucy bowing to him while Natsu only glared, "I felt like my aim was getting weak, so I decided to test myself." A smirk spread across his lips, his voice dripping with fake concern as he faced his brother, "You're not hurt, are you?"

The salmon haired prince clenched his jaw, fighting to keep his anger from seeping into his voice as he responded, "It only grazed me."

Still bent over in a bow, Lucy glanced at his arm out of the corner of her eye. If the blood that was pouring through his fingers was anything to go by, it had done more than just graze him.

Gajeel was smirking too as he looked between the couple, "Well, it seems like you two are still on very good terms."

Natsu knew what they were trying to do. They wanted him to admit that Lucy still meant something to him so that they could use her against him. He glanced over at the blonde court lady for a brief moment before looking back to his brothers, "It wouldn't look good if rumors started about how you killed a court lady for fun. I did it for your sake, not hers."

Laxus let out a quick laugh, and Natsu could tell that his ploy hadn't worked. The King knew his true feelings, and the smirk on his face made that fact clear. "Of course. My mistake."

He looked between the blonde court lady and his salmon haired brother again, one last laugh escaping his lips as he began walking away.

The Ninth Prince turned to follow, but he paused in his steps when Natsu called out, "You should be careful, Gajeel."

He only scoffed, his voice filling with spite, "I don't think I should be taking any advice from you, Natsu. You're the one with blood spilling out of your arm, meanwhile I'm sitting comfortably by the throne. You're the one that needs to watch himself. You never know when your little court lady will be stolen right out from under you." Having said what he wanted, he turned to follow behind the King.

Natsu let out the breath he'd been holding once they were gone, flinching and hissing through clenched teeth as he pressed his hand against his wound more firmly. He glanced at Lucy one more time before he left, finding her staring at him with an unreadable expression.

As the salmon haired prince stalked back towards the palace, the blonde's eyes traveled to the arrow that had wounded him. It was embedded in a tree off to her right, but she knew that if it wasn't for the salmon haired prince, it'd be buried in her back.

She had come to find him, looking for an explanation as to why he'd said what he had all those years ago.

But then he had risked his own life to save hers, and then she had seen his face after the fact, his eyes worriedly scanning over her form to make sure she was alright even though blood was pouring from his own arm. She'd seen it in his face, the way he struggled to contain his anger for what Laxus had attempted to do.

And for now, that was enough of an explanation for her.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	62. Chapter 62: Their Whole Selves

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy ran her fingers over the arrow that she'd pulled from the tree, the same one that had sliced through Natsu's bicep as he dove to tackle her out of its path. After that moment, everything about how Natsu had been treating her recently suddenly made sense. She chastised herself for being so caught up in her own feelings to realize what he was trying to do, and that it was all for her sake.

She hadn't seen him since the incident, finding his room empty when she went in search of him after she'd completed her daily duties. A lower court lady informed her that he'd gone to receive treatment at Jellal's estate, and that he probably wouldn't be returning to the palace for quite some time.

She pushed herself to her feet when Erza entered her office, giving her friend a small smile in greeting.

The red haired gisaeng returned the gesture, "You asked to see me?"

"You can get a message to Jellal for me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then…can you tell him that I would like to see Natsu?"

Erza's grin immediately faded, her eyes widening a small fraction at the request, "Lucy...you're not supposed to leave the palace. It's too dangerous."

The blonde held firm, "I know, Erza. But I'm prepared for the consequences if something goes wrong. I'll do whatever it takes to see him."

* * *

Loke clenched his jaw as he bowed to the King, fighting to keep his disgust from showing on his face. Laxus had killed Gray and Juvia, and the orange haired prince would never forgive his brother for what he had done. But he was King, and showing him disrespect meant death, especially in the deranged and paranoid state that Laxus had fallen into.

The blonde man ran his hands over the gold of his throne, seeming uninterested as he muttered his next words, "The borders have calmed down quite a bit thanks to you. I'll give you whatever you want as a reward before you leave."

Loke quirked a brow, "Whatever I want?"

"As long as it's not the throne, tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you."

The orange haired prince thought over the proposition for a moment, setting his jaw firm as he came to a decision, "Actually, there's something that I've wanted for a very, very long time."

* * *

Loke took a deep breath as he made his way to Lucy's room, his heart still pounding over what he'd just asked the King.

The small, blue haired court lady that seemed to accompany Lucy almost everywhere, Levy if he remembered correctly, was standing in front the doors to Lucy's room, and she bowed to him as he approached, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"Where's Court Lady Lucy?"

Levy bit her lip, "Court Lady Lucy is ill and she isn't accepting any visitors."

Loke huffed out a breath, "I must see her for a moment, even if she is ill."

He moved to walk past her, and the small court lady quickly scurried in front of him again, her eyes wide, "No, you can't! What if…what if you were to get sick too, Your Highness? Wouldn't it spread to the entire army of Ishgar? It's not something you should take lightly."

The orange haired prince finally gave in with an irritated sigh, "Fine. But you must make sure she gets this message, no matter what."

Levy quirked a brow, not used to seeing the youngest prince so serious about something.

* * *

Lucy bit her lip as she quietly closed the doors to Natsu's room behind her, being careful not to wake the man who slept inside.

Jellal told her that the salmon haired prince had already been on his way back to Crocus, but the cut on his arm quickly grew worse, and when he returned to his brother's estate, it soon became clear that it was infected.

The blonde court lady carefully made her way closer to the sleeping prince, who rested on a mat only a few feet away from the door, sweating as his body fought off the infection. He was shirtless, and laying on his stomach, allowing her to see all of the scars that littered his back and arms.

Lucy quietly kneeled next to him, swallowing heavily as she ran her fingers over a whitened strip of skin that ran over his shoulder blade. Sometimes, she forgot about the cruel life he'd lived before she knew him. After she'd helped him cover the scar on his face, he seemed like a completely different person, one so jovial and loyal that it appeared almost impossible for him to have undergone such hardships.

Her eyes fell upon the newest of his wounds, wincing slightly when she saw how irritated it'd become. Although it would definitely scar, she knew that if treated properly, it was nothing to be overly concerned about. It would heal, and if his run in with the poison six years ago was anything to go by, Natsu would definitely be able to fight off the infection.

She silently moved to grab some of the herbs that Jellal had supplied for her, being as quiet as she could as she ground them into a paste. She used wooden tongs to gently place the green mush over his wound, pausing in her actions when Natsu's eyes began to flutter open.

He never seemed to fully recognize her in his daze, and when he looked her way, his brows furrowed in confusion. He wasn't conscious for long, but his eyes remained focused on her until the moment they slid shut again, a soft smile on his face as he drifted back to sleep.

* * *

When Natsu opened his eyes, the first thing he realized was that he felt a thousand times better than he had the last time he'd been conscious. He'd fallen victim to infection before, but it definitely never got easier to deal with, and he had a suspicion that all of the emotional stress he'd been through as of late had severely depleted his strength.

He slowly pushed himself up, noting that his cut had been bandaged. He couldn't actually see his arm due to the long sleeve of his hanbok, but he could feel the wrappings as his bicep flexed against them.

His gaze scanned over the candlelit room in confusion as to where he was. It'd been bright the last time he'd been awake, but light no longer shone on the paper of the walls. His frame tensed when his eyes passed over the person who rested just a few feet away.

Lucy had tucked herself into a nearby corner, her knees pulled into her chest and her head falling to rest against one of the walls as she slept. It looked as if he she'd been trying to wait for him, but had been unable to refuse the pull of her exhaustion.

Natsu let out a small sigh as he stood and came to crouch down in front of her. He should have known that it'd been her who had treated him and taken away his pain. It was just like her to relentlessly care for someone who had been constantly pushing her away. She was the most stubborn person he'd ever met, but he loved her dearly for it, even if she often put herself in harm's way because of her refusal to give up.

Before he could stop himself, he was reaching out to run the tips of his fingers over her face.

And that's when her eyes slowly fluttered open, her cheeks immediately tinting a soft pink when he saw that his hand was only a few inches from her face.

Natsu quickly withdrew his hand and turned his head to the side to hide his own blush, embarrassed at having been caught. He cleared his throat, "Why are you here, Lucy? You're not supposed to leave the palace."

"I needed to ask you something," she quietly breathed out. "So I asked Jellal to help cover for me and get me out."

The salmon haired prince finally looked back at her, his lips pressed into a thin line, "Then ask me quick and go back."

The blonde stared at him in silence for a moment before softly asking, "You broke our promise, didn't you?"

"What?"

"That day you told me you didn't love me…you were lying, weren't you?"

Natsu's jaw clenched, and he quickly stood so he could turn away from her, "Go home, Lucy."

Her stubbornness appeared full force, the blonde launching to her feet and grapping onto his wrist with both hands before he could move away from her, "Please, Natsu. This isn't the palace and Laxus isn't watching us. If you want to continue your act in front of him after this, then that's fine." Her voice began to rise in volume as her emotions started to get the better of her, "But I risked my life and left the palace to come here, so I'm not going back until I get an answer! There wasn't a day that I wasn't waiting for you all those years that you were gone. I trust you, Natsu. More than anyone else. So give me answer, and don't lie. Tell me…do you still love me?"

Natsu's attempt at remaining cold and stoic came to an unsuccessful end as soon as those words escaped her mouth. He'd been silent and still the whole time she'd spoken, and he remained in place for a few moments even after she'd asked her question.

But he was soon spinning to face her, not an ounce of regret in his expression as he placed his hands on her cheeks and smashed his lips to hers.

Lucy wrapped her arms around him, readily accepting the kiss, their first in three years. Every doubt that she'd had about his love for her vanished as he moved his lips against hers, pouring out every feeling that he'd held inside.

He pulled back, a gentle smile on his face as he brushed his thumb across her cheek to wipe away a single tear that had managed to slip from her eye. He rested his forehead against hers, his eyes sliding shut as he breathed out, "I'm so sorry, Lucy…was that answer enough?"

A small smile spread across the blonde's lips, "Yeah, Natsu…that was enough."

The salmon haired prince kissed her again, being far gentler this time than he had been the last.

But the kiss didn't remain tentative for long, Lucy hesitantly taking things a step further when she nervously began to fiddle with the tie of his hanbok.

Natsu chuckled against her lips at her shyness, his amusement only growing when she pushed him away with a small pout. But it wasn't long before they were back at it, the prince shedding the top layer of his hanbok himself before diving back towards the blonde to untie the strings that held her own clothing in place.

* * *

Natsu couldn't rid himself of his gentle smile as he gazed at the girl that slept next to him.

They'd given themselves fully to one another, and he didn't regret that decision in the least. The process had been by no means 'perfect' when judged by the books that the prince knew Gildarts kept his library. But the whole thing was so _them._ They were both flustered beyond belief, laughed a lot, and had a few petty arguments in the midst of it all.

But neither of them would have wanted it any other way.

* * *

Lucy burst into giggles as she watched Natsu try pick up a mushroom with his chopsticks, his left hand struggling to perform the task.

The cut on his bicep ached a bit with the new morning, and made it uncomfortable for him to move his right arm. But Lucy was glad for it in this moment, taking great pleasure in watching one of Ishgar's most skilled princes struggle to eat breakfast.

Natsu gave her a childish pout and she rolled her eyes, grabbing the mushroom with her own chopsticks and holding it up for him, "Here."

His bright smile returned and he leaned forward to eat the small food, his eyes ever leaving hers.

* * *

After breakfast, they went to sit on the edge of the porch of their small lodging, holding hands as Lucy rested her head on Natsu's shoulder. They talked about everything and nothing, their smiles never fading as they giggled like young children.

The pleasant atmosphere didn't last for long though.

Lucy suddenly straightened herself out when her eyes focused on an approaching figure, her smile disappearing.

Natsu followed her gaze when he saw her sudden change, and he was quickly pulling his hand from hers and standing when he saw Gildarts coming to a stop in front of them.

The astronomer had no reaction to the position he'd found them in, his lips pressed into a thin line and his hands clasped behind his back as he bowed to the prince, "Greetings, Your Highness. I come bearing news."

Natsu completely forgot about his previous embarrassment, taking a few eager steps towards the astronomer. If Gildarts had left the palace to come find him, then he prayed that whatever news he bore would be of benefit to the rebellion they were planning, "What is it. Tell me."

The man slowly huffed out a breath, "The King is very ill. Whilst performing sacrificial rights yesterday, a monk was struck by lightning right in front of him. Laxus watched him burn alive. He lost consciousness on the spot, and he hasn't woken up since."

Lucy's eyes widened, quietly muttering to herself, "A heart attack."

Natsu's lips pressed into a thin line, "That's a gruesome thing to witness. It's too severe, even for Laxus. He's always hid his sensitivity behind false courage. He may be having a harder time with Zeref and Gray's deaths than we realized."

"That's more than likely," Gildarts nodded. "He started practicing Buddhism right after Prince Gray died, and he's visiting the shaman more and more often as of late." He paused to huff out a breath, his eyes pointedly focusing on Natsu, "I think the time has come."

* * *

Lucy bit her lip as she came to stand beside Natsu. He hadn't said much after their meeting with Gildarts, seeming to always be in contemplation.

She'd been quietly watching him as he stared at the night sky, but the time for her to return to the palace was fast approaching, so she wanted to make sure that her suspicions about what the astronomer had said before were true.

"Your Highness…do you want the throne?"

He let out a deep sigh, glancing at her briefly before turning his gaze back to the starry sky, "I do."

Lucy nodded her head, "Then…the reason you left me…was it because of the throne?"

"The King used you to get to me, and he will continue to hurt you to get me to submit. I had to do something to stop it."

The blonde worried her bottom lip between her teeth, one thought plaguing her mind as she asked, "What if I asked you to give it up?"

Natsu turned to her with a soft smile on his face, "Then I would persuade you until you said that it was alright."

"You once said that you didn't need to be king as long as we could be together." Lucy dropped her gaze to the ground, "But I guess that your thoughts have changed."

"I started down this path because I wanted to prevent us brothers from having to kill one another. While I was watching the new palace being built, I realized that the world can change if the King changes. I won't be controlled by anyone, and I can finally get rid of all of this absurdity. Being King…is definitely something I want."

Lucy glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and for the first time in many years, she could see the possibility of him turning into the tyrant king that history remembered him as, the one that killed all of his brothers to get to the throne.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Stuff's getting crazy! I feel like I say that in every chapter, but really...is there ever a moment of peace in this story?**

 **And yeah, no lemons in this fic, or any of my fics for that matter. I've never read one myself and I don't plan to, so I'm definitely never going to write one.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	63. Chapter 63:The Time Has Come

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Lucy!"

The blonde court lady turned around at the cry of her name, a smile spreading across her lips when she saw an excited Levy hurtling towards her. The small girl latched onto her wrist, dragging her away from the rest of the court ladies that were cleaning the palace entryway as she anxiously whispered, "When did you get back?"

"Early this morning. Everything went well because of you. Thank you, Levy."

The blue haired court lady smiled smugly, "Prince Loke came looking for you while you were gone. I managed to convince him that you were sick, but he wanted me to give you a message before he went back to war."

Lucy's brows furrowed, "Really? What'd he say?"

"He says that he has a way to get you out of the palace, and he wants you to let him know if you're interested."

* * *

 _"My people are starving to death, Your Majesty. Getting revenge no longer means anything to me. If you guarantee their survival, the people of later Bosco will surely accept you as their king." Erza bowed her head as she finished her request, partially to show respect to his position and partially because she didn't want to look at him as he gave his answer._

 _Laxus quietly scoffed, "No matter how I look at it, I feel like I would be losing out."_

 _Erza slowly raised her gaze back up to the King, her brows furrowing a fraction when she saw the look of anticipation on his face._

 _A cruel smirk spread across his features as he leaned forward in his throne, "I have an offer to make you. One that I think would benefit us both."_

Erza clenched her jaw as she entered the throne room to report to the King. The time had come for her to fulfill her part in the deal they'd made three years ago, and she knew that this time their meeting would not be as civil as they had been in the past.

A wicked grin appeared on Laxus' lips as he caught sight of her, every feature of his face filling with determination, "Ah, if it isn't my favorite gisaeng. What do you have to tell me this time?"

The scarlet haired woman set her gaze firmly on his face, swallowing down her disgust with herself as she resolutely stated, "Prince Natsu has joined forces with some of Ishgar's most powerful families. They're delaying the construction of the new palace. They're purposely mixing in too much gravel and making the walls crumble."

Laxus sneered, slamming his teacup down on the table in front of him in anger, the sharp noise echoing through the throne room, "Are you sure of it?" His eyes anxiously wandered around the room in his paranoia, mumbling more to himself than to the woman before him, "What is his purpose in doing this? He can't just be doing it to go against my orders…" All of his nervous fidgeting stopped all at once, and his head whipped back toward the scarlet haired gisaeng, "The throne. Is he after the throne? Is he?!"

Erza held firm, "I need to ask you something before I answer. Why have you broken your promise?"

"Promise?"

Her expression went rigid, her voice adamantly rising in her fury about what her people had been forced into, "What is this about being drafted into slavery if you can't pay taxes? The former citizens of Bosco are being forced to do slave labor and they're dying because of it. If you do this, what use is it to me to be your eyes and ears, Your Majesty?"

Laxus let out a cruel laugh, "So what? You want to quit?"

"Yes," Erza snapped back. "If I don't get anything out of this deal, then what's the point?"

The King's face went blank, his eyes still trained on the scarlet haired gisaeng as he shakily poured himself more tea, not even noticing as his cup overflowed, "Princess Erza…it's been a long time since anyone has called you that, right?"

She clenched her jaw as she heard the title. It had indeed been a long time. _Years_ in fact.

"How about we make a new deal then?" A vicious smirk spread across his lips, and he chuckled to himself for a moment, "How about you continue to spy on Natsu for me...And if you don't…then I kill Jellal?"

Erza's heart seemed to stop beating in her chest. A deviant voice in her mind cried out, trying to convince her that he would never kill his own brother. But what had happened to Gray and Zeref three years ago clearly proved the contrary. But he was going insane because of what he had done to his brothers. Had he really lost all sense of reason, and was now crazy enough to repeat the action that had brought about his mental downfall, willingly throwing himself further into the depths of madness?

His laughing only grew in volume as he saw the way her frame tensed and her face paled, "You know, Jellal has never like dirty things. He's devoted his life to the arts, so it's really no surprise that he feels that way." His laughter cut out, an anticipating sneer pulling on the corners of his lips, "Imagine what his response will be when he hears that you've been doing my dirty work. He'll be absolutely disgusted. Disobey me, and we'll get to see his reaction...and after he's been completely crushed by betrayal...I'll kill him."

* * *

" _Laxus!"_

The King startled into consciousness at the cry of his name, his frame tense and his hands clenching in the sheets of his bed. His wide eyes anxiously scanned his room, finding that no one but himself was inside.

A nightmare. That had to be the source of the cry.

His brows furrowed when he realized that his face was wet, and he slowly sat up, pressing his hand to his skin to examine the moisture.

His focus turned to the doors when they were slowly pushed open, the creaking of the wood echoing in the silence.

In the shadows of the hallway outside, he saw Zeref's face. The former King was soaking wet, coughing up a horrid mixture of blood and water as he reached out to his brother, barely managing to choke out, " _L-Laxus!"_

Just as soon as he had seemed to appear, Zeref was gone, leaving a haunting chill running throughout Laxus' body. He was shivering as he scrambled to get out of his bed so he could light a candle, convinced that Zeref's face had only been a trick of the light.

He anxiously dug through the nightstand next to his bed, throwing things aside in his desperate search for a match. Two thin objects suddenly fell on him out of nowhere, and he paused in his search, his eyes widening when he saw that it'd been the bloodied, broken shafts of two arrows.

The whiz of an arrow slicing through the air suddenly sounded out, followed by a sickening squelch of flesh as the arrow was embedded in flesh.

His eyes followed the sounds, and through the sheer canopy that surrounded his bed, he saw the bloodied form of his little brother, his eyes full of betrayal as he reached up to grasp the arrow that protruded from his chest with quivering hands.

The King gave out a horrid cry, falling backwards as Gray's voice echoed throughout his room, " _Laxus! Please let us go!"_

He shoved himself to his feet, desperate to get himself out of his this nightmare he had fallen into.

The silhouette of his little brother appeared on the paper of the wall before him, _"We're brothers, Laxus! We grew up together! Let us live!"_

The King let out a deranged scream as Zeref and Gray's voices began to cry out in unison, desperately clutching at his temple as he pleaded for the pounding to stop.

A new voice suddenly joined the cacophony, one that he hadn't heard in over five years, _"Laxus."_

The King's eyes widened when he saw a flash of red hair in front him, confident, sharp footsteps ringing through the air as a figure slowly approached him, _"_ F-father?"

" _Laxus."_ The voice was heavily distorted, but still easily recognizable as the voice of the former king.

He began to stumble backward as Igneel continued towards him, "No! Don't come any closer! St-stay back!"

A crushing pain suddenly gripped his heart, and everything went black. He was unconscious before he was able to feel the impact of his head hitting the ground, and all was suddenly silent.

* * *

Natsu looked around the courtyard, getting a nod from Makarov and Gildarts as they each finished tying up a group of unconscious guards.

The salmon haired prince readjusted the mask that covered the bottom half of his face, brushing off the dust that had clung to his black hanbok in the midst of the fight.

Jellal came to stand next to him, dressed in all black and wearing a cloth over the bottom half of his face as well, "We should go now, Natsu. The time has come."

* * *

"Your Majesty!" Sting's eyes widened as he ran to the unconscious form of his older brother, finding his body splayed across the floor instead of in the bed like he'd expected.

He kneeled next to Laxus' side, shaking his form to spur him into consciousness. When his attempts failed, he turned to the servants that had followed him in to the room, "Go get the doctor, now!"

As they ran from the room, Sting let out a heavy breath, ' _This is it. This is my chance. I'll be the next King of Ishgar.'_

* * *

 _"Your Highness…do you want the throne?"_

 _Natsu let out a deep sigh, glancing at her briefly before turning his gaze back to the starry sky, "I do."_

 _Lucy nodded her head, "Then…the reason you left me…was it because of the throne?"_

 _"The King used you to get to me, and he'lll continue to hurt you to get me to submit. I had to do something to stop it."_

 _The blonde worried her bottom lip between her teeth, one thought plaguing her mind as she asked, "What if I asked you to give it up?"_

 _Natsu turned to her with a soft smile on his face, "Then I would persuade you until you said that it was alright."_

 _"You once said that you didn't need to be King as long as we could be together." Lucy dropped her gaze to the ground, "But I guess that your thoughts have changed."_

 _"I started down this path because I wanted to prevent us brothers from having to kill one another. While I was watching the new palace being built, I realized that the world can change if the King changes. I won't be controlled by anyone, and I can finally get rid of all of this absurdity. Being King…is definitely something I want." He looked over at her, quirking a brow when he saw her expression, "What is it? You don't want me to be King?"_

 _"You know how much I hate the throne, Your Highness." She huffed out a breath, and her gaze dropped to the ground, "However, I hate being apart from you even more." She looked back up him, examining his face in silence for a moment before she softly continued, "You'll become king, Natsu. I know it. But still…you must never kill your brothers. Promise me that you won't kill any of them. Not even Laxus."_

 _He lightly scoffed and rolled his eyes, a soft grin still on his face, "Didn't I just say that I was going to become king to stop us from having to kill one another? I won't hurt any of them, Lucy. I promise."_

"Court Lady Lucy? Court Lady Lucy?"

The blonde snapped out of the memory when she heard the soft call of her name, and turned to see that Levy had taken a seat next to her without her realizing.

The blue haired court lady had an amused, teasing grin on her face, "What were you thinking so deeply about? Was it Prince Natsu, perhaps?"

Lucy turned to face the girl fully, brushing off her teasing and urgently gripping onto her friend's hand, "Levy, I'm going to be tending to the King all day today, so I need you to look after the palace for me. Things…things are going to get real crazy, and I need you to keep everyone calm, okay? Nothing will happen to you or any of the servants, so…please just look after everyone."

Levy's brows furrowed, but she softly nodded her head and quietly answered, "Oh…of course."

Lucy gave her a grateful smile before departing to serve the King.

Natsu, Jellal, Gildarts, and Makarov would be launching their rebellion today, and while she wanted to stay out of the whole ordeal, she couldn't refuse orders without raising suspicion. She would be by the King's side the entire time, and she would be forced to watch as Natsu either claimed the throne, or faced death at the hands of the same man who had already slaughtered two of his brothers.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	64. Chapter 64: Revolt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Natsu, Jellal, Gildarts, and Makarov would be launching their rebellion today, and while Lucy wanted to stay out of the whole ordeal, she couldn't refuse orders without raising suspicion. She would be by the King's side the entire time, and she would be forced to watch as Natsu either claimed the throne, or faced death at the hands of the same man who had already slaughtered two of his brothers._

Lucy couldn't stop the trembling of her hands as she poured the King's tea.

In this moment, he truly looked terrifying, appearing more insane than he ever had before. Circles that were a horrid mixture of red and purple surrounded his irritated, swollen eyes, and sweat coated his pale skin, running down it in thin lines and dripping onto the floor.

He was seated on the edge of his bed, slumped over and slowly dragging in raspy breaths as his eyes lazily watched her every move.

The blonde court lady swallowed heavily as she held the cup out to him, doing her best to stop the quivering of her hands so that she wouldn't spill the tea. She stumbled back a few steps with wide eyes when his arm swung down on her wrist, sending the tea spraying through the air and the cup clattering to the ground.

His breathing had quickened, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her face, "You…what are you hiding from me? Did you poison the tea or something?"

She quickly bowed to him, not wanting to upset him further, "No, Your Majesty. I would never do such a thing."

He sat quietly for a few moments, the only sound his raspy breathing as he tiredly drug in breath after breath. When he continued his voice was quiet, but full of spite nonetheless, "Now that I'm in this state and have given it some thought…" he turned his pointed gaze towards her, "…everything started with _you_."

Lucy tentatively straightened herself out from her bow, hesitantly looking up at him, "P-pardon?"

"Zeref, Gray, and Gray's wife…Even King Igneel…All of those people are haunting me…and it's all _your_ fault. I made the decision to kill my brothers and become king. You…you were the one that helped Natsu cover up his scar and take my seat during the rain ritual…Because he took what was mine-" He cut himself as the beating drums and war cries began to sound from outside the palace, his hands fisting in the sheets of his bed as his entire frame tensed.

Lucy began to take small steps away from the King when the sounds of swords clinking against one another joined the cacophony of noises. The rebellion had begun, and that meant Natsu was here. All of their hard work after Gray and Juvia's deaths would finally come to fruition after three long years of waiting and planning. Natsu would be in this very room soon enough she was sure, finally taking the throne after years of yearning for it.

She paused in her steps when the doors to the room were thrown open, an on-edge Grandeeny quickly flying through them and towards her son, "Laxus! It's Natsu. Natsu is attacking the palace!"

The King had no response, his eyes remaining numbly trained on the floor.

The Queen snatched a piece of parchment from his nearby desk, grabbing a brush and jar of ink as well before settling next to her son on the edge of the bed, "Laxus. Laxus, here. You need to write this down. Write that you'll be abdicating the throne to Loke." She dipped the tip of the brush into the ink before grabbing the King's right wrist and shoving the writing utensil into it, laying the paper across his lap as well.

Laxus' brain seemed to finally catch up with what was happening, snapping out of his shocked and weary state to quietly ask, "W-what?"

"We can't lose the throne, Laxus! Hurry! Write down that Loke is to be the new king!"

"Then…what about _me_?"

Grandeeny slowly looked up at him, her face blank.

"Do you even see me as your son?"

Lucy's eyes widened when tears began streaming down the King's cheeks, his voice growing choked with emotion as he continued to question the Queen. Never had she seen such sorrow in Laxus' expression, nor did she think that she ever would.

"What am I to you, mother? Just something that exists to sit on the throne?" He ripped his hand out of her hold, his voice rising in volume, "Do you no longer have need for a son who isn't king?!"

Grandeeny desperately grabbed onto both of his hands with her own, shaking them as if to snap him out of whatever daze he'd fallen into, "Laxus, don't be like this! We'll lose everything if you do this! Hand it over to Loke, please!"

The King choked out a few wet coughs, a bitter smile appearing on his features as his eyes wandered to the blonde court lady who was silently standing a few feet away, "Now…I think I understand Natsu. I can relate to how he feels…" He turned his gaze to the soldiers that guarded his doors, his voice suddenly filling with all of the power that it usually held, "Take the Queen away. Now!"

As the guards approached, Grandeeny began to plead with her son, "Lauxs! Don't do this! Laxus! Laxus!"

Lucy watched on as the Queen was dragged from the room, briefly glancing at the King one last time before quietly trying to follow them out the doors.

Now that the secret about Natsu's revolt was out, she didn't want to be by Laxus' side for a second longer. Disobeying the King's orders meant death, but if things went according to plan, Laxus wouldn't be King to carry out her execution. And if somehow he did manage to beat Natsu and keep his hold over the throne, the salmon haired prince would surely be put to death too. If Lucy had learned anything over the three years that she and Natsu had been separated, it was that living life without him just wasn't worth it. Dying together had brought Gray and Juvia happiness and peace in the end, and Lucy was sure that it would be the same for her and Natsu.

She let out a small shriek when a teacup was suddenly hurdling past her head, barely missing her and shattering against the wall just in front of her face instead.

With wide eyes, she turned to find Laxus had risen to his feet, his penetrating glare fixed on her and his hulking frame tensed as he stumbled towards her.

* * *

Natsu took a deep breath as he stared at the palace gates. He'd vowed to take the throne from his corrupt brother, but attacking the palace still felt _wrong,_ no matter what cause he'd given his revolt.

Makarov, who was seated on a horse at his side, gave out a bitter laugh, "I've come to attack the very palace that I've always protected."

The salmon haired prince glanced at the man for a brief moment, and the old Grand General gave him a quick nod.

He turned to Jellal, who was seated atop a horse on his other side, feeling a flash of pride when he saw the courage that lined every feature of his brother's face. The blue haired prince had briefly looked terrified when Natsu had handed him his armor earlier this morning. Jellal had never been in battle, and he only possessed the most basic of skills when it came to wielding a blade. But his intelligence was unparalleled, and Natsu assured him that he would hold up just fine against common soldiers that never thought for themselves and only followed the orders of another.

Hundreds of men stood behind the three men on horseback, soldiers from Makarov's army and the armies of some of Ishgar's most powerful families. They'd willingly given their support to Natsu's cause after what had been done to Gray and his family. One of Magnolia's most influential families had been completely wiped out in the span of just a week, and the rage at what had happened to an innocent family mixed with the fear of what might happen if Laxus were to stay on the throne.

The men drew their swords just as Natsu did, and the salmon haired prince prepared to command his army forward. But he stopped in his tracks when the palace gates were suddenly thrown open, his brows furrowing when Minerva confidentially strode through them, flanked by a few of the palace guards.

* * *

Lucy started taking small steps backwards when Laxus began cackling as he stumbled towards her, "I knew Natsu would end up getting everything! I knew it!" His laughter suddenly cut out, and he was desperately gasping for air for a few moments before he quietly continued, "What…what did I do so wrong? I was so afraid that I'd be thrown away too. Just like Natsu was. I thought I would be cast off if I made a single mistake."

The blonde court lady froze in place when the King suddenly clutched at his chest, letting out a pained shout as he hunched over. Something was seriously wrong with him, and she had a suspicion that it had to do with his heart.

His voice was heavily strained as he forcefully ground out, "Mother said to me…She said that I was complete and not lacking in anything. Yet…" He was rapidly heaving for air now, insanity in his eyes and he fixed his gaze on her, "…this is all your fault! Everything went to hell because you got involved, you wench!" He lunged for her and she tried to move away, but his strides were much larger than hers, and he was soon snatching her wrist and throwing her to the ground. He fell on his hands and knees next to her, reaching for the piece of parchment that fallen from his lap to the ground when he'd stood from his bed. He took the brush into his hand as well, furiously scribbling out his last decree, " _You_ should decide. Who should I give the throne to?" His left hand flew to the side, fisting in the front of her hanbok and dragging her closer to shout in her face, "Choose! Sting?! Gajeel? Loke or Jellal?! Natsu?!"

The sound of footfalls began echoing through the hallway just outside the doors, growing louder with each passing moment. At the sound, Laxus through her aside and hurriedly went back to dragging his brush across the paper. When he was done, he shakily stood, the crinkled paper and brush clutched within his fist as he began to stumble towards Lucy's fallen form.

The blonde court lady tentatively scooted away from him, wary of the fact that moving too fast would surely bring about a violent reaction from the King. She mentally cursed when her back ran into a pillar.

Laxus fell to his knees just in front of her, huffing out tired breaths as he choked out, "I-I was…I was only…trying to survive."

He let out a few choked gasps, his face suddenly turning bright red as he collapsed to the side. As he landed on the floor, his last breaths escaped him.

A horrid chill overwhelmed Lucy's body when his unseeing, dead eyes focused on her.

She turned her head to side, tears streaming down her cheeks when she closed her eyes. They were tears of relief, but they were also tears of sorrow. Laxus was cruel and wicked in every aspect of his life. But the very heart of his motivation was the same as everyone else's. He was desperately fighting to survive in a world and country that was relentlessly trying to tear everyone down. He was terrified of being thrown aside by those that craved for power more than compassion, and in his last moments, his mother had tried to do the very thing he feared most.

She looked to the doors of the room as they were thrown open, and she let out a relieved breath when she saw that it was Natsu who confidentially strode through them.

His steps slowed to a stop when he saw Laxus, his wide eyes traveling between the blonde court lady and the still form of his older brother. The salmon haired prince crouched down next to him, tearing the parchment from his limp grasp and taking a few moments to skim over its contents.

When he was finished, he looked to the blonde court lady, his voice firm as he pressed, "Did you read it?"

She shook her head no, rubbing her chest to ease the tightness that had gathered there after watching Laxus meet his sorrowful end.

Natsu slowly stood, huffing out a quick breath before he tore the King's last decree to shreds. Lucy's eyes were wide as she watched the scraps flutter to the ground.

She didn't have time to question Natsu on the matter though. Grandeeny suddenly came flying into the room, multiple servants and guards grasping onto her in an attempt to bring her intrusion to a halt.

The Queen froze in place when she saw her son's still form, tears gathering in her eyes, "L-Laxus!"

Lucy fought off the look of disgust that threatened to flash across her features. The Queen had been so cruel to her son in his last moments, but she decided to be heartbroken over him now that he was dead. Where was all of this love and compassion when Laxus was barely clinging onto life?

Gildarts came in to the room as well, looking between Natsu and the dead king with wide eyes.

Lucy also looked up to the salmon haired prince, her brain furiously thinking of what to do next. She was the only one that had been there in Laxus' last moments, and with his final decree torn to shreds, it was her job to testify as to who was to receive the throne.

She pushed herself onto her knees, facing Natsu and bowing forward, making her voice loud and clear for the people gathered in the room, "Greetings to the new King. Long may he live."

His eyes widened, but he got his expression back under control soon enough when he realized what Lucy was doing for him. The time to claim the throne had finally come.

"What do you mean 'king?'" Grandeeny haughtily protested, her glare trained on the blonde court lady.

Natsu turned to her, his voice firm as he simply stated, "His Majesty gave me the throne before he passed away. He abdicated to me, so I"m the new King."

Gildarts lowered himself to his knees, the servants and soldiers in the room following his lead, their voices in unison as they cried out, "Greetings to the new King! Long live the King!"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Finally, Natsu is King!**

 **We'll find out about what went down with Minerva and what Laxus wrote in his last decree later, I promise! And I know a lot of you have been asking about whether or not anything will happen to Levy because of what she did, and I promise that there will be more on that topic too!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	65. Chapter 65: Last Farewell

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

The doors to the throne room were pushed open, and the people gathered inside leaned forward to get a good look at the newly crowned King.

His salmon hair was done up in a tight bun at the crown of his head and secured in place by a gold pin, though numerous strands stuck out at odd angles, refusing to be tamed. A crown with beads strung on all sides had been placed atop his head, the strands clinking together as he slowly walked through the crowd.

Minerva couldn't withhold the smirk that pulled at the corners of her lips as Natsu made his way to his throne. Finally, things were going the way she wanted them to. She should've abandoned Laxus and Sting sooner, because taking matters into her own hands was clearly the only way she would get what she desired.

 _The men drew their swords just as Natsu did, and the salmon haired prince prepared to command his army forward. But he stopped in his tracks when the palace gates were suddenly thrown open, his brows furrowing when Minerva confidentially strode through them, flanked by a few of the palace guards._

 _His confusion only grew when the princess and the soldiers at her side bowed to him._

 _Minerva gave him a sweet smile, "I'll help you enter the palace without any bloodshed, Natsu."_

 _The salmon haired prince raised a brow, glancing over at Jellal to find that his brother looked just as surprised as he did. His sister had always been on Laxus' side, and he knew that she was probably only offering him help because his chance of success was far greater than that of the deranged King's. And Sting had seemingly disappeared after Laxus had been found unconscious this morning, vanishing without giving anyone a single indication as to where he was going, furthering weakening Laxus' support._

 _But the salmon haired prince figured that it would be best not to refuse this opportunity while it was right in front of him, so he looked his half-sister straight in the eyes, his voice firm, "I accept. I won't forget your loyalty, Minerva."_

As he came to stand in front of his throne, Natsu turned to face the crowd that had gathered, his eyes scanning over each of their faces and taking note of those that had come to support him.

Minerva was among the mass of people, standing just to his right and smiling coyly when she realized that he was looking at her. He would definitely need to keep an eye on her in the future. She may have been on his side during his revolt, but his sister certainly wasn't dedicated to staying loyal if past events were anything to go by.

Three of his four remaining brothers were present, standing to his left and each possessing a different expression. Jellal looked smug, a pleased grin on his face as the event that they'd been working towards for years finally came to fruition. Gajeel wouldn't even look at him, his red eyes remaining steadfastly trained on the floor. And Loke had almost no emotion in his face at all, his eyes set in the subtlest of glares as he blankly stared at his older brother.

Sting was still nowhere to be found, though the salmon haired king had a feeling that his blond brother would show up soon enough.

Natsu carefully took the small, golden dragon statue that Gildarts was holding out to him before turning towards Makarov, who stood directly in front of him. It was time for his people to pledge their allegiance to him as the new ruler of Ishgar.

The old Grand General was small, but his voice was powerful enough to echo around the entire room, "His Majesty, the King. Long live the King!"

Following the small man's lead, the crowd gathered in the room cried out in unison to his longevity, bowing forward to show their respect.

* * *

Lucy had taken to thoughtlessly twirling around herself as she stood in the palace courtyard by herself. Natsu had told her to wait for him there while the coronation took place, and it wasn't long before the blonde fell into boredom and sought out a form of entertainment. But everyone in the palace that wasn't a servant was at the ceremony, and all the servants were occupied by their duties, leaving her to herself.

The new King had excused her from her duties for the day, and even provided her with an array of choices as to what wear instead of her uniform.

She'd chosen a hanbok of the lightest purple, so pale that it almost looked white. It'd been years since she had been able to wear something other than her court lady uniform, and she was sucking in every aspect of the opportunity while she had the chance, pleasantly watching the large skirt of the hanbok fan out as she spun around herself. She'd also been allowed to forgo the bun that she'd been forced to wear due to her status, instead choosing to only twist the top half of her hair into a large bun at the crown of her head, which she secured in place using the white hibiscus hair pin that Natsu had given her, leaving the bottom half to brush against her lower back.

She paused in her twirling when she caught sight of a blur of salmon on one of her rotations, and she spun around to face the front the palace, finding Natsu standing atop the steps of the building.

Lucy's smiled softly when she saw that the royal family crest, a golden dragon atop a red and silver circle, was emblazoned on the chest of his lavish black hanbok. It'd been three years since she'd seen the once common symbol due to Laxus' refusal to have a tribute to his father in the palace, and she was happy to see it once again.

Her grin widened when she saw that Natsu was pleasantly chuckling to himself, probably because of her if she had to guess. She'd stumbled a bit because of her dizziness when she had turned to face him, and she had no doubt that he'd been watching her thoughtlessly twirling around herself for quite some time before she noticed his presence.

In this moment, as she looked at him pleasantly grinning and laughing, an anxiety that had been plaguing her every thought for years finally vanished, _'I think I did it, Natsu. I was right. I was able to change history. Now…you will no longer be remembered as a bloody monarch.'_

* * *

Minerva shot to her feet as Sting flew into the library, coming to a stop just in front of her and slamming his hand down on her desk.

The prince fixed his sister with a furious glare, his voice deathly calm as he ground out, "Is it true that you opened the palace gates?"

Minerva didn't even flinch at his threatening tone, holding his gaze even, "Yes, I did. There was no other choice. Our household has decided that they'll no longer push for a king, but instead for a queen."

Sting scoffed, trying mask the hurt that he felt at having been betrayed by his own sister, "I see that you've finally decided to dispose of your expectations for me."

"The game is different now, _brother_. More than anything, I was disgusted to see how much you had changed. The further you strayed, the less I supported you. It'd be best to distance yourself from me in the future."

The prince suddenly turned away from her, not wanting to hear any more of her thoughts on his actions. But he didn't leave the room. It was _his_ study after all, and if anyone needed to leave, it was Minerva.

They stood in tense silence for a moment before the princess huffed out a breath, her voice still full of spite as she asked, "Why didn't you come to the coronation? People will get the wrong idea and our family's reputation might be ruined."

Sting clenched his jaw, "I left Magnolia to go to Jiemma in Crocus for aid. But when I got there…he was dead. I immediately sent word to find Natsu's men and dispose of them before they could attack…but the owner of the throne had already changed." He let out a bitter laugh, "Do you remember what I once said to you, that a rebel who brings down one who committed treason becomes a hero? Natsu did what I had been planning to do, and he took the seat that I had planned to take. And you wanted me to go to his coronation? That's cruel, even for _you,_ Minerva."

* * *

"No. No way. I won't allow it."

A bitter grin appeared on the Grand General's face as he fondly gazed up at the new King. He'd expected that Natsu would refuse his request. The boy was like his own grandson, and they'd grown even closer whilst working together to plan a revolt. But he'd made up his mind long ago, and now that their goal had finally become reality, he could give in to his greatest wish, "I would like to return to my hometown to live out my final years. I need rest, Your Majesty."

"But I need you now more than ever, Makarov," Natsu firmly protested. "I don't understand why you insist on leaving when the palace can provide you with all of the comfort you need in your old age."

"If I'm completely honest with you, Your Majesty…" the old man's pleasant grin began to fade, "…I have grown sick and tired of this royal household." Great sorrow appeared on his face, deepening his wrinkles and making his voice sound rough, "Every time I go back and forth between the palace and my hometown…I greatly miss the presence of my dear granddaughter."

Natsu's mood immediately plummeted at the mention of Juvia, memories of her and Gray resurfacing and reminding him of all the pain that had come with losing them.

"I see visions of her and I hear her voice. I try my best to pretend that this isn't the case, but…it's been very difficult to stay here."

The King pushed aside his own sorrow to continue his protests, "Please don't go, Makarov." He couldn't lose the Grand General. When he was younger, the old man had filled the void that'd been ripped through him after his own parent's had practically abandoned him, and he'd been Natsu's greatest support during the revolt.

"Your Majesty," Makarov's voice was firm, but still full of trust and fatherly affection, "For the sake of this nation and its people, become a good and wise king." A proud smile spread across his lips, "You have to be. That way, if I happen to see King Igneel in the afterlife…I'll have lots to boast to him about." He paused to slowly suck in a breath, his soft smile never fading, "I'll remain your loyal subject until my end. This is my last farewell, Your Majesty."

As Makarov raised in his hands above his head, lowered himself to his knees, and bent himself forward in a bow, Natsu couldn't stop the tears that gathered in his eyes. The old man was one of his greatest comrades, one that he didn't know if he could survive without.

* * *

Lucy's brows furrowed as she entered the throne room.

It was the night of Natsu's coronation, and this was supposed to be one of the happiest days of his life. But instead, he was solemnly slouched over in his throne, his eyes numbly focused on the table in front of him.

The blonde carefully made her way up the small platform that his throne rested on, waiting quietly for him to tell her what was wrong.

After a few moments of silence, he let out a small sigh, "Makarov has left. He's sick and tired of this palace."

Lucy gently set her hand on his shoulder, not knowing what else to do or say to comfort him. She knew how much Makarov meant to him, and she was quite sad to see the old man leave herself. He'd always been kind to her when she'd served him, and Gray had told her about how he'd helped search for her in the year that she'd been sent away. He was good man, and an irreplaceable comrade.

Natsu suddenly huffed out a breath, turning to face her with his lips set in a thin line, "You're curious about whose name Laxus wrote in his last decree, aren't you? You're wondering whether or not I stole this throne, right?"

The blonde shook her head, a soft smile on her face, "I don't think you stole it, Your Majesty. I'm the person who is least curious about all that. Besides, you're the next oldest of all the princes after Laxus, right? So the throne rightfully belongs to you."

His gaze slowly slid off of her and fell back to the table, and he was silent for a moment before quietly remarking, "It was blank. No one's name was written in the space he'd left."

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction. In his last moments, Laxus had been pressing her to choose for him, but she had thought that he was just messing with her.

"That's why I tore it up. I knew it would only cause more confusion and chaos. We'd already occupied the palace anyhow."

The blonde softly huffed out a breath as she gently sat next to him on the throne and lightly placed her hand atop of one of his own. If anyone else saw her doing this she would be heavily punished, but she knew that Natsu didn't care in the least, "I'll be here for you, Your Majesty. You don't have regret what you did." She lightly rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, her voice full of affection as she softly breathed out, "I'll never leave your side. No matter what happens."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Goodbye Makarov :'(**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	66. Chapter 66: A Change

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"Moving the capital city…" Natsu read over the scroll with a sour look on his face before tossing it aside, sending the scroll to land on the top of the pile that was steadily growing taller on the side of his throne, "…put out a royal edict that it'll be put to a stop immediately. Magnolia will remain the capital of Ishgar, and all the people misplaced by the construction-"

"What about the slaves who died during construction? I think that's a more pressing matter," Jellal interrupted from his place beside the throne.

"Do what the family members want," Natsu responded without a second of hesitation. He'd only been King for a few days, but he was already determined to be a better king than his father and brothers. Igneel had gotten too caught up in not making enemies to realize that he was throwing all of his allies aside. Zeref had grown paranoid and had been too fearful to make the decisions he needed to. And Laxus had held no concern for anyone's safety but his own, turning another person against him with each new decree.

The people of Ishgar, everyone from the slaves to the nobles, had been crying out for aid from the royal family for years, and Natsu was going to make sure that they finally got their answer.

* * *

Natsu's steps slowed to a halt as he pushed the doors to his room open and caught sight of the blonde that was sleeping in his bed. It looked as if she had been trying wait for him, but had been unable to keep herself entertained long enough to ward off her exhaustion.

Jellal suddenly elbowed him in the back, sending him stumbling forward towards the girl. He turned to glare at his brother, his furious stare only intensifying when he saw the smug grin on the blue haired prince's face.

The salmon haired King cleared his throat as he crouched down in front of her, gently resting a hand on her should and shaking her into consciousness, "Lucy. Wake up."

Her eyes slowly peeled open to focus on him, but she shot into full awareness when she saw that Jellal was standing behind him, the blue haired prince wriggling his eyebrows suggestively as he looked between her and the King.

* * *

Lucy bit her lip, uncomfortable in the awkward silence that had settled on her and her two companions.

While Jellal had always been her dear friend, she desperately wished for him to disappear in this moment. She'd been hoping that she and Natsu would have the evening to themselves, but the salmon haired dipstick that she now had to call King couldn't take a hint, happily inviting his brother to tag along with them for dinner. The blue haired prince was visibly uncomfortable with the situation too, obviously aware of his position as their involuntary third wheel.

The only one who seemed perfectly comfortable at the moment was Natsu, a pleased grin on his face as he used his chopsticks to grab food from the various bowls on the table.

As soft smile spread across her lips as she watched him stuff his face. A short while ago, she probably would have scolded him for his poor manners. But right now she just smiled, happy to see that after becoming King, he hadn't changed one bit.

* * *

Lucy crouched down next to Natsu's bedside, smiling softly to herself as she looked over his sleeping face. For someone who held power over an entire country, he sure looked incredibly innocent, at least in this moment.

He'd gone to lay down after he'd finished dinner, leaving her and Jellal at the table after they'd fallen into a conversation about the stars and other celestial bodies. He must've fallen asleep sometime during their chatter, not even bothering to remove his lavish black hanbok before slipping into unconsciousness.

She stood slowly, mindful not to make a sound as she grasped onto the blankets at the bottom of his bed and carefully started pulling them over his sleeping form.

The blonde froze when he mumbled something in his sleep, his brows furrowing before he shot into a sitting position with a cry of her name. He huffed out a relieved breath when he caught sight of her standing next to him, and he didn't hesitate as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest.

Lucy didn't return the hug, partially because he'd trapped her arms and partially because she was still confused as to what had just happened. He had shot awake so suddenly, and with a cry of her name no less. ' _Did he…did he have a nightmare about me?'_

He laid back down, pulling her with him as he settled back into the mattress. He didn't say a word, nor did he even open his eyes again to look at her. He simply kept his arms wrapped tight around her as he drifted back into sleep with a soft smile on his face.

* * *

"I mean it, Erza!" Lucy insisted when the scarlet haired women began chuckling at her complaints. "I would rather still be a court lady. Servants try to follow me everywhere and they won't let me do a thing on my own. I can't even put my own makeup on anymore!" She huffed out a deep breath as she poured her friend a cup of tea, her tone suddenly losing its fire and filling with distaste, "I…I feel like a doll waiting all day for my owner to come home."

"Still, Lucy, you shouldn't say such things so carelessly," Erza advised with a soft smile on her face. "The King doesn't have a queen yet. People will be keeping a close eye on you, so you have to be careful."

The blonde softly nodded her head, a small pout still on her face, "Even though I wanted him to be King, it's hard to wait for him."

The doors to the small room they were sitting in were suddenly pushed open, and an upper court lady came striding through the doors, "Lady Lucy, Queen Grandeeny would like to meet with you."

The blonde's eyes widened, and she looked over to see Erza's shocked expression mirrored her own.

* * *

Lucy nervously worried her lip between her teeth as she walked through the doors to Grandeeny's room. She swallowed when she caught sight of the Queen. It'd only been a few days since she'd seen Grandeeny last, but she seemed to have aged five years in that short span of time. Her wrinkles were more prevalent than ever before, and her once vibrant blue hair was dull and heavily streaked with gray. Lucy didn't know if the change in appearance was because of lack of care to have her makeup and hair done to cover up her age, or rather the change had actually occurred in the past few days due to the grievous weight of losing a child. But if Lucy knew anything about the Queen, the latter was highly unlikely.

Loke was by his mother's side, but he only glanced at the blonde for the briefest of moments before dropping his gaze to the floor, his jaw clenched.

The blonde carefully made her way up the steps of the platform that the bed rested on, the skirt of her light blue hanbok clutched in her hands as she bowed to the Queen, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Grandeeny didn't even glance her way, instead her hard gaze sourly focused on the wall, "I called you here to ask you a question." She addressed her son, no emotion in her voice, "Loke, show her."

The orange haired prince pulled his hands out from behind his back, shreds of paper clutched in one of his fists.

Lucy thought her heart might stop beating when she recognized the writing that was scribbled on them. She and Natsu had been far too careless.

"This was found in Laxus' room," Loke remarked. "From what we can read, it looks like a last decree."

"I'm certain that it pertains to the succession of the throne," Grandeeny started viciously. "If so, that means it may not be Natsu's name that's written here." Her gaze finally snapped to Lucy and the blonde couldn't stop herself from jumping when the Queen's sharp gaze was suddenly burning through her, "Tell me. Did Laxus really write Natsu's name?"

Lucy said nothing, and Loke comfortingly laid a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, Lucy. If you're not saying anything out of fear, we can protect you. Natsu won't be able to touch you."

The blonde fought off the urge to scoff. He thought she wasn't saying anything because she was afraid of Natsu?

No…she was terrified because she knew that no matter what answer she gave, Grandeeny would be infuriated beyond belief. It didn't matter whether she was honest or not, nothing she said would appease the Queen's desires.

"You need to be honest with us, Lucy," Loke earnestly continued. "Did Laxus really abdicate the throne to Natsu?"

The blonde took a second to strengthen her resolve, slowly sucking in a breath before looking the Queen straight in the eyes and firmly stating, "Yes. It's true."

The corners of Grandeeny's lips quivered in fury, "Lies. You're lying!" She shot to her feet and began taking small steps towards the blonde, "Laxus would never do such a thing! No one knows him better than his own mother!" She grabbed onto the blonde's upper arms and began shaking her, "Tell me the truth!"

Loke attempted to intervene, grasping onto Grandeeny's shoulder and trying to pull her away, "Mother-"

"That's enough!"

Lucy looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening a fraction when she saw that Natsu had entered the room. He wasted no time in striding towards them, taking a hold of her wrist and pulling from his mother's grasp to protectively push her behind him.

Grandeeny fell backwards onto the bed, Loke having to grasp onto her arm and back to help her remain sitting upright.

The salmon haired King fixed his mother with a glare, "If you want to ask anyone about it, why don't you just ask me? Don't touch Lucy ever again."

The Queen scoffed, brushing his threatening tone aside, "Fine then. Why don't you tell me the truth? Why did you rip up the decree?"

"Who said that I was the one who ripped it up?"

Lucy looked up at him and tightened her grip on his hand, surprised that he had taken this route.

"I don't know why Laxus ripped his last decree and left only a dying wish. But he abdicated the throne to me and there's no doubt about that," Natsu gave her a reassuring squeeze back, and Lucy had to suppress a small wince when his grip surpassed comforting and became crushing.

Grandeeny's lips quivered in fury, but Loke sharply cut in before she could make her response, "He has a son, so why would he leave it to his younger brother?"

The King raised a brow as his gaze slid over to the orange haired prince, "If you're so curious, would you like to ask him in the afterlife?"

Lucy's eyes widened, ' _Did…did he…did he really just threaten to kill Loke?'_ By the shocked and infuriated expressions on said prince's and the Queen's faces, she guessed that they'd interpreted his words the same way.

But Natsu didn't pause in his speech, not at all hindered by the threat he'd just made, "It's a good thing he did abdicate, too. What do you think it would have been like if I had been forced to usurp the throne?" He fixed his stony gaze on Loke, "Right about now…the palace would be filled with your blood, along with the blood of the rest of our brothers and nephews."

Lucy's gaze fell to the floor, a previously forgotten anxiety suddenly resurfacing at his words. What the hell had gotten into Natsu to make him speak in such a way? She understood that he was trying to put Loke and Grandeeny in their places, but wasn't making such threats going a bit too far?

The salmon haired King pressed on with the conversation, uncaring of the suffocating tension that had fallen on the room, "So, mother…Why don't you focus on the memorial service for Laxus instead of worrying about things that don't concern you. I'll visit you often to see how you are."

The Queen's expression filled with disgust, " _Do not call me mother."_

"I'm your son, aren't I? It's only natural."

"You are _not_ my son. You are merely the _thief_ that stole my son's throne."

After the Queen's insult, Natsu said nothing more, turning on his heel and dragging Lucy from the room, not shortening his strides to accommodate for her shorter legs nor her disabled knee.

Lucy had to grasp onto Natsu's hand with both of her own to stay steady as she stumbled after him. His grip on her hand was crushing, and his pace was far too fast for her to be able to keep up.

After they were a good distance away from the Queen's room, Natsu stopped suddenly, sending her crashing into his back. But he didn't seem to notice, his jaw set firm as he gazed down at her, "Even if they call you, you don't have to go to them."

Lucy was taken aback at his harsh tone, and she tentatively responded, "Y-yes, Your Majesty." She let out a breath of relief when he finally let go of her hand, and she began rubbing at it with the other. It was all red and sore from how tight he'd been gripping it.

His gaze remained stone cold, "Whoever it is and whatever rank, you need to get my permission first. Understand?"

Lucy's brows furrowed a fraction, confused as to why she felt like Natsu was scolding her. She swallowed and dropped her gaze to the floor, "I understand."

He huffed out a breath, seeming almost annoyed before he turned around and began walking through the doors to his throne room.

"W-wait!" Lucy tried to call out to him, but the servants had already shut the doors behind him, leaving her cry to echo around the empty hallway.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Oh, Natsu...what are you doing?**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	67. Chapter 67: A Life Nonetheless

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

"The King's determined to catch me. I need you to get me out of Magnolia."

Erza's jaw clenched at Jose's words, her lips twisting in revulsion. They'd been allies through Gajeel a few years ago, when she'd been trying to assassinate the late King Igneel. But after that, they'd gladly broken off all contact. It disgusted her to know that he thought he could turn to her for aid, especially when her loyalty to Natsu was as apparent as it was.

"You started a rumor that he lied about the former King's wishes for the succession of the throne," she ground out through clenched teeth. "If you weren't prepared to face the consequences, then you shouldn't have been stupid enough to put yourself at risk."

He raised a brow and scoffed, "Is that so?" A sick sneer pulled at the corners of his lips, "Well, if you're all about accepting the downfall for your mistakes, I suppose it's time that I expose the fact that you were spying on Natsu and Jellal for Laxus."

The scarlet haired gisaeng's lips pressed into a thin line, loathing herself for the fact that he wasn't wrong. Their crimes were of worthy of equitable punishment, and nothing she said would disprove that fact.

A twisted smirk appeared on his face when he noticed that she'd gone quiet, "Did you really think that I would let myself die alone? You're just as guilty as I am, and I intend on dragging you down with me."

He turned to leave, thinking that he'd done enough to scare the girl into doing what he needed. But turning his back on her was the biggest mistake he'd ever made.

As soon as his focus was off of her, Erza reached into the folds of her hanbok, only one thought on her mind as she unsheathed a small dagger and stabbed it into the side of Jose's neck.

She'd been beyond relieved when Laxus had passed, believing that the threat of Jellal finding out about her betrayal had perished along with the King. But it had reared its horrid head again, she didn't hesitate to wipe it out of existence once more.

Jellal couldn't find out about what she'd done. It would absolutely destroy him, she was sure, and she loved him too much to let him be crushed by the weight of her betrayal.

Jose let out a gruesome choking noise, his hand instinctively coming to grasp at the blood covered hilt as he turned to face her with wide eyes.

His body gave out on him just as his eyes made contact for the very last time, his hand splaying out towards and smearing his own blood across the elephant charm of the scarlet incense pouch at her waist.

* * *

Erza's hands started to shake as she stared at the incense pouch that she clasped in her hands. Jose's blood was still smeared across the side of the elephant charm, and just as she had gone to clean it, the gravity of her actions finally crashed down upon her.

She'd just taken a life for the very first time. A life that belonged to a cruel man, but a life nonetheless.

And she'd done for selfish reasons. She might've been thinking about protecting Jellal while she'd done it, but the truth was that she was terribly afraid. She'd lost everyone when Bosco had fallen under siege, and she didn't want to be alone again. She had no doubt that all of her friends would hate her if they discovered that she'd betrayed their trust, so she would do whatever she could to prevent that from happening.

She couldn't help but jump when someone flew out of nowhere with a loud shout, the incense pouch slipping from her hands and clattering to the ground.

Jellal appeared in front of with an amused smile, clearly pleased by the fact that he'd managed to scare her.

He picked the pouch up with a reminiscent smile, "Wow…it's been a long time since I've seen this." His eyes narrowed as he examined it, "It's gotten dirty, and it needs a new string."

She yanked it out of his hand before he could spot the blood, her mind racing to come with an explanation when she noticed that his brows had furrowed at her actions, "I don't want to lose it. The last time I dropped it, you kept it for nearly a month, and I don't want to risk that happening again."

The blue haired prince let out a joking scoff, rolling his eyes as he jibbed, "Well it was your fault. You're the one that used to disappear after every time we met." He sighed heavily, the humor leaving his voice to become much gentler, "You said that your parents gave it to you, right?"

She swallowed heavily and nodded her head.

"Erza…I think I have to do something that your parents won't like very much."

The scarlet haired gisaeng's brows furrowed, "What?"

He huffed out a breath, looking unhappy with his next words as he said them, "Before we can get married…I think we may need to get you registered as an adopted daughter of a good family."

A soft, understanding smile spread across her lips. "It's because I'm from Bosco, right?"

He nodded his head, a comforting grin appearing on his features, "It's not like that's a concern for me. Neither of us had anything to do with what happened between our countries, so it shouldn't change things between us. But I think it would be best to avoid any unnecessary issues if we can. I'll visit your parents' graves and sincerely apologize to them for it."

Erza could only stare up at him in silence. His genuine care for her only piled on more guilt, and she didn't know how much more she could take before she finally broke beneath its weight.

* * *

Lucy let out a small laugh when Levy gasped in wonder as she caught sight of the room that blonde would now be staying in.

"The King must really love you if he got you all of this!"

The blonde left her friend to wander around the massive room as servants and court ladies alike entered with chests of her belongings. She crouched down next to one of the chests, starting to sift through its contents as Levy rejoined her and sat down at her side.

"Lady Lucy, I have something to ask of you."

She gave her friend a soft smile, "Of course, Levy. Ask me anything."

Her gaze dropped to the floor, "Well…with the enthronement of the new King, they're releasing some of the court ladies." She nervously looked up at the blonde, "I'm one of them, Lady Lucy. I've been told to leave the palace by the end of this week."

Lucy's soft smile immediately vanished at her friend's words, her brows furrowed as she reached across to rest her hand atop one of Levy's own, "But…where will you go?"

The blue haired court lady bit her lip, "Lady Lucy, can't you help me stay in the palace? Please talk to the King for me, won't you?"

* * *

Levy huffed out a breath as she made her way down the steps from Lucy's new room, her shoulders tensing when she caught sight of Gajeel waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase.

He cleared his throat when she came to stand in front of him, glancing down the hall to make sure they were alone before turning back to her, "How'd it go?"

"She said she would talk to the King," the blue haired court lady quietly admitted.

"Good," the Ninth Prince nodded, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back against a pillar. "You need remain in the palace no matter what."

Levy bit her lip, "But, Your Highness…this is a chance for me to finally leave the palace. I don't understand why I need to stay, and I don't know when I'll get an opportunity like this again. Can't I…can't I just come to your estate?"

He huffed out a breath, "You said you wanted to help me, right? You can do that by staying here for now. But when the time is right, I promise I'll take you out of here."

* * *

Lucy smiled softly to herself as she made her way back to her room, a group of four servants carrying vibrant pieces cloth following in her stead. She hadn't been able to see Natsu all day, but at least she was able to busy herself with decorating her new room instead of just sitting around and waiting for him all day like she had been for the past week.

She paused in her steps when she almost ran into someone upon rounding a corner, her smile fading when she saw that it'd been Sting.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, the blond prince looking as surprised at her sudden presence as she felt about his.

She turned over her shoulder to address the servants that followed behind her, "You can go on ahead."

"Yes, my lady," they bowed to her and the prince before they brushed past, leaving the two of them to converse alone.

Lucy didn't know whether or not to bow him herself. She always had in the past due to their difference in status, but she didn't know where she stood in society anymore. Natsu had released from her service as a court lady, and she was sure that every citizen of Ishgar knew about her relationship with the King by now. But she wasn't his Queen, at least not officially, so she had no idea whether or not she was considered to be above a prince.

She bowed to him anyways though, deciding that it was better than possibly showing disrespect.

Sting's lips were pressed into a thin line when she straightened herself back out, and no matter how much she examined his expression, she couldn't read his emotions.

His voice was even and quiet as he remarked, "You once called me greedy for wanting both the throne and love. And now…Natsu has both. So why do you not think of him in the same way that you thought of me when you called me greedy?"

"He was honest with me, Your Highness," Lucy explained simply. "He told me that he didn't want to lose me or the throne. He confessed everything to me, even his greed. He left it up to me to try and understand, and I saw no other choice than to accept it."

"I've always been curious," the blond prince turned to face her fully, his gaze prying for information. "Why is it that you insisted I couldn't become King? In your eyes…was I not enough?"

She softly shook her head, "It's not like that."

"Then what?"

Lucy took a moment to think over her answer. She supposed at the very heart of it all, she'd been trying to protect him. Back in those days, when she conversed with Sting one on one often, she'd been convinced that Natsu was going to end up killing all of his brothers to get to the throne, and she thought that encouraging the blond prince to stop him and fight him for it would inevitably bring about his death.

But by the time she realized that Natsu was different than what history remembered him as, Sting had long since turned his back on her. She didn't see any reason to support him in his endeavors to claim the throne when he betrayed those she trusted to get there. He'd been the one behind the mercury in Zeref's bathwater after all, though she still had no idea how he managed to get it there, and he'd done nothing to stop Laxus from killing Gray and Juvia.

After taking a moment to think, in a soft voice, she started, "They say that Natsu was born under the star of a king. The late King Igneel knew that as well. So it was fate. There was nothing you could have done, Your Highness."

Sting's mouth fell open a fraction in disbelief, letting out a small, incredulous scoff as he repeated, "'Star of king?' You really think that all of this is because of a measly star?"

She only nodded her head, "Yes, Your Highness. It's best not to worry over things that you couldn't do a thing about…so please accept Natsu as King and move on. Yukino wouldn't have wanted you live in such a way."

She brushed past him, leaving her last words to settle onto his conscience. She hoped that they caused him to change his ways, because they were true, and no matter what grievances he'd committed, she didn't want him to waste away either.

* * *

Sting stared at the thin, red bracelet on his desk with distant eyes, his mind going back six years ago to the purpose for which he'd bought it.

 _Sting reached into the waist belt of his hanbok and withdrew a small, but long and shiny stone with two red, braided strings attached to the sides. He laid the thin, powder blue stone across Lucy's wrist to cover the cut she'd given herself and pulled the strings down to tie the bracelet around her wrist._

 _"The color red protects from misfortune," he explained as he tied it. "It also symbolizes a joyful relationship. Can you promise me that you'll never take it off?"_

He'd found it abandoned on the floor of her room after she'd been sent away following Aquarius' execution, and from that moment on, he and Lucy grew further apart day by day.

The bracelet, once meant to symbolize a joyful relationship, only made him feel hatred.

He grabbed the large rock he'd brought in with him from the outside, slamming it down on the small stone and breaking the bracelet in two.

Minerva flew through the doors, obviously there to find out what had been the cause of the sharp noise that echoed throughout his study.

His eyes remained glued to the shattered stone, not even glancing at her as he pledged, "You'll be queen soon, Minerva. I'll make sure of it."

An anticipated smirk pulled at the corners of her painted red lips, "So, you've decided that you'll help me?"

"No one can have everything. Natsu…he can't have both the throne and love. I'm going to make him choose…What do you think his decision will be…will it be the throne, or Lucy?"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	68. Chapter 68: Law of the Land

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy looked up when Natsu suddenly dropped his chopsticks to childishly point an accusing finger at her, "Hey, you said you'd get me something because I prepared that room for you. All you gave me was herbal rice."

The blonde gave him an incredulous look, "And you ate it all without leaving a single grain behind!" A small pout appeared on her lips, "I was going to give some to Jellal and Gildarts, but you ate all of it!"

"There's no need for you to think of others besides me."

Lucy quirked a brow, giving him a subtle glare.

A smug grin spread across the King's lips, "It's all mine."

She watched on in slight confusion as he went back to eating his dinner, a small smile on his lips as he shoveled food into his mouth, "Did…did something happen today?"

"No, why do you think that?"

"You're smiling more than usual. It's…actually kind of making me worried."

He set down his chopsticks once again, leaning across the table to be closer to her, a joking smile on his face as he jovially remarked, "Don't try to know everything about me when we're not even married yet. You're going to scare me away."

"I want to know so much because I spend all day waiting for you, Your Majesty!" She pursed her lips, "Can't I work in the palace during the day like I used to? Even if you won't let me serve others, there's still lots of other things I could do." She let out a light gasp as she was reminded of a promise she'd made to a dear friend, "Also, about Levy…I heard she is being released from her service as a court lady. Can't you let her stay? She really has no place to go other than the palace."

Natsu huffed out a small breath, "Lucy, don't you think it would be strange if I-"

"She's my best friend, Your Majesty!" the blonde pressed. "I need her here so that I won't be lonely. Please! Please!"

He gave in at the pout she was giving him, a small smile spreading across his lips, "Fine, fine! But…I don't think you'll be so lonely in the future."

Lucy's brows furrowed at the way his eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

Natsu leaned even closer, "We'll have to have children and raise them, won't we?"

The blonde's expression went blank, "Ch-children?"

He reached across to rest his hand on top of her own, "I've asked for a doctor to come see you next week. You'll have to take care of yourself in order to have children."

She let out an incredulous scoff, "We're not even married yet, and you're already talking about having children?!"

"We can get married," he responded simply. "When should we do it? We'll do it whenever you want to."

"No. I don't want to," she turned away, her lips set a pout and her arms folded over her chest.

His brows furrowed, "You don't want to?"

She blinked a few times, "You…you need to do a better proposal than that." Her head whipped towards him and she gave him an accusing glare, "All those years ago when you told me that you had something to tell me by the prayer tower, I know what you were going to say. I'm not stupid. You were going to propose to me there, weren't you?"

A regretful smile spread across his face when he realized what she was getting at, "I don't think I'll be able to go to the prayer tower anytime soon, Lucy. I'm King now. Leaving the palace isn't something that I can do as easily as I used to."

"Okay," a disappointed pout appeared on her lips, and she turned away with a small sigh.

Natsu quirked a brow, "Must I really come up with a better proposal to get you to say yes?"

Lucy said nothing, but the pointed look that she gave him was answer enough.

The King let out a sigh, a joking grin appearing on his features, "God, dealing with you is harder than dealing with the government."

* * *

Lucy carefully watched the doctor's expression as he examined her, his fingers lightly pressing against the inside of her wrist to check her pulse.

The blonde wasn't surprised when his expression turned grim, obviously hesitating to tell her something. As of late, she'd been feeling… _different_ to say the very least.

She forced a gentle smile onto her face despite her fear of what he was going to say, "Whatever you need to say, you can be honest with me. I'll tell the King myself so that you don't have to."

The old man's lips pressed into a thin line, "You're knee is not doing well. When you were tortured in the past, it wasn't treated properly. Now it has become a chronic illness. You'll be unable to walk someday."

Lucy nodded her head, her voice quiet as she simply answered, "Yes." She'd known for a while that such would be the case. It'd never stopped aching in the six years since it had happened, and it'd slowly begun to lose its full range of movement.

She waited with bated breath for him to finish. She knew that that wasn't all that was wrong with her. There was much more, she was sure of it.

"However, there is something much worse," he croaked out. "It's your heart palpitations."

"Heart palpitations?"

"When you are overexerted or startled, does your chest feel stuffy?"

"Yes, well…" Lucy's voice faded as she thought about it more. When she had first arrived in Ishgar, she'd experienced a tightness in her chest like she never had before, but she had attributed to her panic attack in response to being suddenly transported a thousand years back in time. And she'd felt the same sensation when Zeref, Gray, Juvia, and Laxus had died too, the feeling of something pressing down on her chest and restricting her breath.

The doctor's voice pulled her out of her blank state, his voice still grim, "You have a lot of pent up frustration because of what has happened in your past. The illness of your heart has become an illness of the body." His gaze dropped to the floor, his voice hoarse as he finished, "At this point, I cannot guarantee how long you will live."

* * *

Lucy's heart felt heavy as she gently placed a stone atop the very same prayer tower that she'd been conversing about with Natsu earlier. She slowly took a few steps back, sweeping her arms out to her sides and gently pressing her palms together above her head before drawing her hands down her center to rest in front of her chest. She closed her eyes, fighting off the terrified tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper as she promised to no one in particular, "I'll take better care of my health from now on. I'm only in my twenties. Ten more years is far too short to do all of the things I wanted to…I have to live longer than that."

Another, less self-centered thought took over her mind, "With him…With Natsu…I…I want to be with him longer than that."

There was a small scuff in the dirt behind her, and Loke's voice was soon gently inquiring, "What are you praying so hard for?" There was a tinge of spite in his voice as he asked his next question, "Are you praying for Natsu to be King for a long time?"

Lucy gave him a small glare over her shoulder, her hands falling to her sides as she turned back to the prayer tower and huffed out a breath, "I'm praying for Prince Loke to stop being stupid and be my friend again."

"You were the one that lied. You said you wouldn't take anyone's side, but you're clearly on Natsu's."

"And you are clearly misdirecting your anger," she spat as she turned to face him fully. "Have you forgotten what Laxus did to Zeref and Gray?" She paused when she saw him flinch at the mention of his deceased brothers, and she let out a small sigh, softening her tone before continuing, "It was only natural that Natsu became the next King. With Laxus gone, he's the oldest of you brothers now, right?"

He huffed out a breath, his voice losing a fraction of its spite, "I suppose you're right. However, I still believe that everything started going wrong when Natsu came back to Magnolia. Us brothers have always fought for the throne, but it became more bloody and brutal once Natsu got involved. And I know Laxus better than anyone. He would never give Natsu the throne. I know that he stole it. I won't say anything, but I'm not the only one who knows about it, and I'm worried that everyone will be in danger once they decide to stop being silent on the matter." He fixed her with a pointed stare, "I know that you know about it too, so why did you give him your support when his throne could be torn out from under him at any moment? Do you want to become Queen?"

"Queen?" the blonde repeated slowly. "I…I don't know. I've never thought about it that way. I was never with Natsu because I wanted power."

"But you know that you want to be with him no matter what, right?"

Lucy didn't hesitate for a second to answer, "Of course."

He let out a heavy sigh at her response, "I don't think you understand what I'm getting at, Lucy. A queen must use her family's name and encourage the other powerful families to support the King. That's why King Igneel got married as often as he did. Natsu doesn't have any wives yet, but the powerful families won't wait long before pushing their daughters towards him to seal their connection to the throne for their own safety. If he refuses, he loses their support and they'll turn against him. He may be King, but he won't be able to fend off all of Ishgar's most powerful people. So even if you do end up marrying Natsu, it won't be long before he's forced into marriage with countless other women. You'll just be one of the King's many women." His brows furrowed in concern, "Is that really how you want to live?"

All emotion had drained from Lucy's face as the orange haired prince spoke. She'd gotten so caught up in the moment when Natsu had finally become King. All of their misfortune had seemed to be behind them, and she'd thought that all their future had in store for them was happiness and joy.

But like always, Ishgar was a horribly cruel place.

"Lucy, you used to talk of sailing the seas and going to distant deserts to ride camels," Loke earnestly continued. "If you marry him, you can throw those dreams aside. You won't be able to leave the palace ever again once you become Queen." His gaze dropped to the ground, "Do you recall what I once said? I asked Levy to tell you about it."

"Do you mean when you said that you have a way out of the palace?"

His gaze found hers again, "Tell me whenever you get tired of this place. If you really want to leave…I won't hesitate to get you out."

* * *

"Prince Sting is here to see you, Your Majesty!"

Natsu's lips twisted in disgust as the voice cried out. It seemed like he hadn't seen Sting in ages, but he definitely wasn't looking forward to their reunion.

Jellal and Gildarts were at his sides, and their expressions mirrored his own distaste at their visitor.

The blond prince bowed only his head when he came to a stop in front of the throne, but Natsu let it slide. He didn't gain any joy from watching people lower themselves in front of him anyways, even if it was a custom that had been around since Igneel had been King.

Sting's expression was stony as he firmly started, "I'm here as a representative of all your loyal subjects."

Natsu quirked a brow, " _You_ are their representative?"

The blond prince paid no mind to the indirect insult, his voice steady and his gaze unwavering as he continued, "First. As for the leader of the three hundred thousand soldiers that have been drafted this year…they would like to be the only ones to vote on who it is. They don't want you to have a say."

Jellal took a step forward, eager to defend Natsu's authority as King, but Sting pressed on before a single word could escape his mouth.

"Second. They want to have control over the tax on grains. As for the taxes owed to the royal household, each region wants to handle it on their own instead of having a royal administrator oversee it."

The King let out a small scoff and quirked a brow, "So, you want to get rid of my authority in both the military forces and money of Ishgar. You want to cut off both the wings of the King. If you thought that this kind of pressure would work…you were very mistaken."

Sting's gaze was unwavering, his features still set firm as he forcefully inquired, "If you don't want to lose your wings…then how do you feel about losing your heart?"

* * *

Lucy silently worked her jaw as she clenched her hands in her lap, doing her best to avoid glaring at Minerva as the princess examined every inch of the blonde's new living space.

The dark haired woman turned to her with a smile that dripped with fake sincerity, "It's a lovely room. You've decorated it nicely."

The blonde huffed out a breath, finally looking up at Minerva with a cold gaze as the princess took a seat across from her, "Whatever it is that you came to say, just say it. My patience is wearing thin and I won't have the desire to listen for much longer."

"For once, I didn't come to fight. I came to make a clear distinction between my desires and yours."

Lucy quirked a brow, her voice still harsh as she spat, "I didn't realize that we had anything more to give or take from one another. I definitely don't want anything from you, Princess."

Minerva's lips spread in a sweet smile, "All I'm saying is that you may continue to live here if you wish. I'll accept you as Natsu's love. I won't get involved in who takes care of the King all day and night."

The blonde's brows furrowed, genuinely confused as to what the princess was getting at, "What?"

"What I want is honor and recognition," the dark haired woman continued without a hitch. "And I want my son on the throne." Her sweet smile morphed into a twisted smirk, " _I_ will be marrying the King. _I_ will be his wife. _I_ will be queen of this nation."

* * *

"If you marry Minerva, all of the powerful families in Ishgar will be on your side. Our household will become your strength."

Natsu sneered at his brother, "Don't try to mess with me like this, Sting. I may be on the throne, but I still have the temper of a wolf."

The blond prince smirked, having long since prepared himself for Natsu's refusal, "You're sitting on a throne that is hard to get and even harder to protect. From where you're sitting, it'll be very clear to you that the powerful families are a double-edged sword. If you want to sit there for a long time, you need them on your side."

"I've promised to marry someone else," the King ground out, his gaze turning to the many scrolls that rested on the table in front of him, signaling his unwillingness to continue on with the conversation.

"Are you referring to Lucy?" Sting pressed on. He'd thought this conversation through a thousand times, and he knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted. "That girl can't become queen."

Natsu's gaze slid back to his brother, his voice full of spite, "If I say that I'll do it, then I'll do it. I'm a man of my word."

"You must've forgotten. In order to avoid marrying King Igneel, she slit her own wrist. Whether you're King or not, Natsu, you can't reject the founding principles of Ishgar. It's the law of this land…" His gaze remained firmly trained on his brother's, his voice full of spite and anticipation as he watched his brother's heart get crushed by only a short phrase, "…a woman with a scar on her body cannot marry the King."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	69. Chapter 69: In the Blink of an Eye

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

 _Minerva's sweet smile morphed into a twisted smirk, "I will be marrying the King. I will be his wife. I will be queen of this nation."_

Lucy shook her head in denial, swallowing heavily as she fought back the tears that threatened to gather in her eyes, "Unless I hear it from Natsu myself, I won't believe it."

The princess quirked a brow, her cruel sneer widening as she watched the blonde's resolve crumble with every sentence she spoke, "I guess there are a lot of things that Natsu doesn't tell you. Many of the powerful families are deliberating on how they can dethrone him. He put a stop to relocating the capital city to Crocus after they'd poured their money into the construction of the new palace. And the Strauss family is anxious because someone they once mistreated became king." Her characteristic sweet smile appeared on her painted red lips, taking pleasure in how she could see Lucy's heart breaking as reality came crashing down upon her, "Don't you see? For you, this small and pretty room in which you can wait for him is enough. If a woman like you were to become Queen…Ishgar would be in serious trouble. Natsu would have to give up the throne if he wanted to stay with you. And one more thing…a king cannot marry a woman with a scar on her body."

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction and her right hand unconsciously came to wrap around her opposite wrist. The action she'd taken in order to protect what she wanted in marriage would be the exact thing that prevented her from getting her wishes fulfilled.

"I've presented you with how we will co-exist," Minerva cruelly continued, aware but uncaring of how all that she'd said was drastically overwhelming the blonde. "It's up to you whether or not things get worse."

She stood, glaring down at the blonde for a moment before exiting the room with her head held high, fully aware of and completely unaffected by the crushing blow she'd just dealt.

Lucy didn't even watch the princess as she left, her gaze instead remaining numbly trained on the golden cloth of the table she was seated at as tears began silently streaming down her cheeks, her chest tightening as her heart felt as if it had been torn to pieces.

* * *

" _I have promised to marry someone else," Natsu ground out, his gaze turning to the many scrolls that rested on the table in front of him, signaling his unwillingness to continue on with the conversation._

" _Are you referring to Lucy?" Sting pressed on. He had thought this conversation through a thousand times, and he knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted. "That girl can't become queen."_

 _The King's gaze slid back to his brother, his voice full of spite, "If I say that I will do it…I will do it. I'm a man of my word."_

" _You must have forgotten. In order to avoid marrying King Igneel, she slit her own wrist. Whether you are King or not, Natsu, you can't reject the rules of Ishgar. It's the law of this land…" His gaze remained firmly trained on his brother's, his voice full of spite and anticipation as he watched his brother's heart get crushed by only a short phrase, "…a woman with a scar on her body cannot marry the King."_

"If you insist on marrying her, then you'll have to give up the throne," Sting pressed on even as despair began to seep into Natsu's features as the truth of his brother's words sunk in. The blond prince's lips began to twist into an anticipated smirk, "Which one will you choose? Is it the throne? Or is it Lucy?"

Sting was slightly taken aback when Natsu let out a small chuckle, a confident smile appearing on his lips, "I won't lose either. The Kings that came before me may have thrown things aside to secure to their place, but I rose to the throne to acquire everything. Did you really think that I would throw Lucy aside because she has a scar?" He tapped under his left eye with the tip of his finger, "Have you forgotten about my own scar? I became King with a face like this. That means there's no reason that Lucy should be unable to become Queen."

"Then I offer up my next argument," the blond prince reached into the waistband of his hanbok, withdrawing a small notebook that he'd brought with him from his study. Lucy had used it as a journal when she'd lived on his estate, and he was sure that its contents would be more than enough to plant a seed of doubt in his brother's mind. He slid it onto the table in front of the throne, "This was Lucy's."

Natsu huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes, only taking the small notebook into his hands because he was curious to see what more Sting thought he could do to persuade him. His brows furrowed though when he opened the book to the first page. The writing was too structured to simply be scribbles, but he couldn't decipher any part of it.

"She writes words in an alphabet that no one knows. She's not normal. A girl like her doesn't belong in any position of power."

Natsu slammed the notebook shut, roughly sliding across the table towards his brother, "I don't care about such things." Having said what he wanted, he turned his focus back to his scrolls, "Now, leave. And don't come back."

Sting quirked a brow, but he bowed to his brother and turned to leave nonetheless. He had no doubt that Natsu would be broken out of his fantasies soon enough, and he and Minerva would get what they wanted in the end.

* * *

Natsu's glare intensified the longer he listened to the man before him. He'd never met this minister before, and the old man had only been speaking for a few moments. But the King was already sick of him and the topic he was rambling on about, and he wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.

"I've asked to see you today, Your Majesty, to inform you that the Strauss family is asking for independence. And the ministers are asking for control of the military and taxes again. Since the relocating of the capital city to Crocus was halted, the powerful families of those districts have been in protest. They may have given you their support during your revolt, but they're turning on you, Your Majesty. This fight is not one that you can win easily, and it'll last for years."

Natsu glanced to Jellal, who stood to his side and looked just as annoyed with the man as he did, before turning his glare back to the minister, "Don't talk in circles. If you have something to say, then just say it."

"Then I will get to the point," there was no fear in the man's expression as he turned to face the most powerful man in the nation. His voice echoed throughout the throne room as he continued, "You should marry Princess Minerva. If you do, all of your problems will be resolved. That's the only option you have if you want to keep the throne."

Jellal's eyes widened at the proposition and his gaze immediately turned to his brother, beginning to feel pity for the minister when he saw the rage on Natsu's face. The poor man didn't know what he'd brought upon himself by suggesting such a thing.

The King's jaw was tightly clenched, his voice laced with underlying fury as he ground out, " _I_ decide who I marry. Not the nation."

"So it's true," the old man remarked with an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, immune to the deadly stare the King was giving him. "You really are thinking about marrying that former court lady like they all say. You mustn't be very attached to your throne if you're willing to risk it to marry such a lowly person."

"Unless you want to lose it, watch your tongue," Jellal venomously snapped back, surprising both the King and the minister. It wasn't often that he lost his temper, and it was never without worthy cause.

But the minister didn't stay silent for long, his voice still unwavering as he started once again, "Whether it be the Strauss family or another, they'll eventually try to tear this nation apart. Your father worked hard to build this country. He made many sacrifices, and he did everything he could to protect it until he took his last breath. So are you really going to let Ishgar fall to pieces during your reign, Your Majesty?"

Natsu scoffed, "What's so great about this seat that you would concern yourself over it to this degree? It's only brought me and my family grief."

The minister quirked a brow, "Then maybe you should consider leaving it, Your Majesty."

* * *

Lucy immediately perked up when she caught sight of a familiar head of blue hair at the end of the hallway, and she hurriedly ran towards her friend, "Levy!"

At the sudden cry of her name, the small court lady jumped and nearly dropped the tray of teas that she was holding, only managing to keep it balanced once the blonde arrived and lent a hand.

"Levy, I have some good news!"

"Good news? About what?"

A bright smile spread across Lucy's lips, "His Majesty has agreed to let you stay in the palace."

"Really?" Joy flashed across the girl's features, but it quickly gave way to worry and confusion, "But…what is all of this talk about Princess Minerva becoming Queen?"

The blonde's smile vanished at the question, and her gaze immediately dropped to the floor.

"Why would she become the queen instead of you, Lady Lucy? It's all a misunderstanding, right?"

Lucy opened her mouth to reply before she could really think about her answer, but the words got caught in her throat when there was a call of her name from behind.

She turned to find Gildarts standing only a few feet away, his lips pressed into a thin line as he gave her a respectful bow.

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but solemnly sulk as she followed Gildarts' into his study. The room had once been a place of wonder and curiosity, but now its gray walls and rows of book shelves only made the room feel bland. The astronomer's many contraptions and charts still laid vicariously scattered across every surface, but now that almost half of the princes that once gazed at them in delight were dead, it only added to the crushing weight that'd been piling in her chest over the years.

Gildarts picked up on her somber mood, letting out a heavy sigh as he too scanned his gaze over his study,"This room used to be full of life." His gaze settled on themodel aircraft that was suspended on ropes from the ceiling, "Gray always liked this flying contraption." A small, reminiscent smile appeared on his lips as he allowed himself to get lost in the memory of when the tenth prince had first seen it.

 _"Wow! Look at this!"_

 _Gildarts was in the process of carving and adjusting a new wooden telescope on his balcony when he heard the tenth prince's exclamation._

 _He glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of Gray and Loke as they stared in wonder at his model aircraft, which was suspended on ropes from the ceiling of his study. The rest of the princes gathered around the table under the model, Jellal leisurely drawing the contraption in his sketchbook._

 _"Gildarts! Gildarts!" Gray called._

 _"Tenth Prince!" he responded happily, flying into the room with his arms extended to the sides. "This is a plane," he answered the unspoken question._

 _"Plane?" the boy tried the word out on his tongue. "What's that?"_

 _"It's a tool used to fly in the sky like a bird," the astronomer explained excitedly. "Someday, your children will have children. Those children will then have their own children," he grabbed the prince's shoulders. "In the future, people will use this to travel to foreign lands!"_

 _"Wow!" Gray excitedly clapped his hands. "Gildarts is always making amazing things."_

The astronomer let out a small chuckle as he pulled himself out of the memory, his mind recalling other common occurrences that'd been lost with time, "Laxus and Sting would be in here every other moment to borrow books. They would sometimes fight over the same one, too. Zeref would always come looking for maps, overexerting himself to better protect our lands borders."

Lucy watched on in silence as Gildarts wandered about his study, rambling about times past with a pleasant, but still somewhat frustrated and sorrowful tone. It was times like these that reminded her she wasn't the only one who missed the way things used to be.

"And that chart of all the constellations…Loke liked that a lot. Gajeel was always asking me about alchemy. He wanted to turn lead into gold or something like that. Jellal would sit on the stairs, drawing anything and everything he could see. And Natsu would always sleep on the balcony. He refused to stay in his room at night because he liked to fall asleep under the stars." He suddenly stopped in his steps, his voice becoming smaller than the blonde had ever heard it, "All of that disappeared in the blink of an eye."

A gentle, reassuring smile spread across Lucy's lips, "I know that you cared for each of the princes very much."

He slowly nodded his head, an exasperated sigh escaping his mouth, "I cared for them a lot. Those idiots were like my own kids. That's why I'm going to say what I'm going to say." He lifted his head to make eye contact with her, "Give up on marrying the King, Lucy. We both know that there's only two outcomes to whole situation. Either Natsu gives in and marries Minerva or he gives up the throne to be with you. And we all know that if Natsu gives up the throne, Sting is the next line. He'll be a tyrant, and I'm sure that it won't be long before he comes after everyone who has ever been in opposition to him. That means Natsu, you, me, Jellal, and Loke would all be dead…and I'm sure he'd even go as far as hunting down Makarov. I've thought over this for days and there's nothing we can do but give in, Lucy. Natsu will be stubborn until the very end…so you should let go of your relationship first."

The blonde was silent for a moment before she quietly responded, "I…I don't want to." Her eyes were lined with tears and her voice was slightly choked as she breathed out, "Natsu and I have gone through a lot…and we've waited for such a long time. I only endured all of it because I believed that one day I would be happy and finally find peace. If I was going to give up like this, then I would've given up long ago."

Gildarts' lips pressed into a grim line and his gaze dropped to the floor. He knew that she would protest like this, and he knew that she would only end up hurting herself when everything was said and done.

"If Natsu is going to remain steadfast, then why would I do such a thing? I won't give up on him. I'll hold on to what we have."

The astronomer let out a heavy sigh, "Lucy, think about it for a moment. What has happened to everyone that once lived in the palace?"

At the question, memories of the deaths she had witnessed began involuntarily replaying in her mind.

 _Zeref spitting blood into her lap before tipping back into the spring water in which he drowned._

 _Gray clutching at the bloodied arrow in his chest as he collapsed next to his dead wife, his skin draining of color as he bled out from the stab wound on his stomach._

 _Laxus clutching at his heart as crumbled to the floor, his unseeing, dead eyes focusing on her._

"Lucy, in a palace where the King is in danger, there's the smell of blood. You don't know when and where something may happen to him. If someone dies because of your stubbornness…will you be able to absolve yourself of blame?"

His words caused the tears to finally slip from her eyes.

"I've lived long enough to see three kings rise and fall. In order to stop another tragedy, the throne must be stronger. You may be able to be a source of comfort for Natsu, but you won't be able to be his source of strength." He set a hand on her shoulder, doing his best to sound comforting despite all that he'd just said, "You mustn't forget, Lucy…I read the will of the heavens for a living. I'm very sorry…but you and Natsu were never meant to be."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	70. Chapter 70: My Only Queen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu had been sitting on his throne for hours, unmoving and staring into space as he got lost in his thoughts. It'd grown dark long ago, and he hadn't even glanced at the servants as they entered to light the candles on the edges of the room.

He couldn't bring himself to leave, even though it was well past time to meet with Lucy for dinner. He didn't think he'd be able to act normal and like nothing was wrong after all that'd been said to him today. Everyone wanted him to throw her aside and marry Minerva, and he was caught in a seemingly endless battle between his head and heart.

The sharp sound of a knocking suddenly echoed through the throne room, accompanied by a swish of blonde hair as a familiar face peaked out from behind a nearby pillar.

Natsu forcefully pulled himself out of his slump as Lucy ran to stand directly in front of him, her hands clasped behind her back and a bright smile on her face as she lovingly gazed up at him.

A joking grin spread across the King's lips, a teasing lilt to his voice as he asked, "Who said you could come into my throne room without my permission?"

The blonde pursed her lips, "Well, it's just that everyone already knows how much you favor me, Your Majesty. The guards opened the doors as soon as they saw me."

Natsu let out a small chuckle, "Because of you, people will start thinking that I actually have a heart and only look scary on the outside. You're gonna ruin my reputation."

"Why don't we ruin it together?"

The King curiously quirked a brow.

Lucy's smile widened, "Do you want to go outside the palace and have fun with me? Have you forgotten?" She finally pulled her hands out behind her back, holding an ornamented clay mask in each hand, "It's the night of the exorcism rite. Let's go to the market!"

He gave her an incredulous stare, "You want to go outside the palace?"

She excitedly nodded her head.

Natsu let out a sigh, "It's a bit late to go out. We'll have to give the servants and guards some time to prepare-"

"We don't need servants and guards to come with us. No one will recognize you, Your Majesty," Lucy rolled her eyes and placed one of the masks over her face, "What did you think these were for?"

She held the other mask out to him, and he accepted with a small quirk of his lips.

* * *

Natsu couldn't stop giggling like a child as Lucy pulled him down a secluded dirt path, the same one that ran along the edge of the lake they often visited together.

The festival had come to a close, but the couple was far from being ready to call it a night.

They'd done everything they possibly could and tasted every food they could get their hands on whilst a few drunken commoners rhythmically pounded on their pans. They'd been shoved and bumped in the hustle and bustle of the market, often having to cling onto one another to stay on their feet.

And Natsu had loved every second of it. He'd never been able to go out and enjoy the festivities like he had tonight. The townspeople used to fear and shun him, stumbling over themselves and each other in their panic to get away every time they caught sight of him. And even after he'd brought the rain and they'd come to accept him, they still treated him different, like they thought he would turn his power on them at any second.

Having people bump into him and drunkenly slur out profanities instead of an apology actually felt kind of nice. He couldn't imagine what their reactions would be like if they found out that he was their King.

Despite the freedom it had given him, he was still eager to rid himself of his mask. He'd spent countless years with one secured to his face to hide the source his misfortune, or at least what he'd believed to be the source back in those days. Now with his scar out of the picture, he knew that there was much more that opposed him instead of just a few lines of whitened flesh.

When he removed his mask, he finally got a good look at where blonde had dragged him to. The small pile of stones that rested under a nearby tree brought a gentle grin to his face, "It's gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw it."

Lucy let out a small sigh, a soft smile appearing when she removed her own mask, "It's not much compared to the one Yukino made, but it's still pretty to look at."

There were a few moments of comfortable silence as they admired the small prayer tower, but it wasn't long before Natsu suddenly turned towards her and asked, "Lucy, why didn't you run away from me the first time we met?"

The blonde quirked a brow at the question, surprised by the suddenness and randomness of his inquiry. When she saw that he genuinely wanted to know, she huffed out a breath, "Don't you remember how it all happened? I tried to run away, but you caught me and swept me up onto your horse. And then you shoved me off of it like five seconds later."

He let out a small chuckle as he recalled the memory, "Back then, I hated you. But now I can't imagine my life without you." He took a few steps closer, a gentle, loving smile on his face and his gaze full of affection as he quietly asked, "Lucy...will you marry me?"

There was only the chirping of crickets in the seconds that followed. Then all at once, it was if a dam had broken open, and all of the joy and love that he had expected to feel in this moment was lost.

Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and Natsu's grin faded as Lucy's own disappeared.

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she choked out, "I…I can't. It's the law of the land that a woman with a scar on her body cannot marry the King." She did her best to give him a watery smile, taking slow breaths to keep her own emotions in check, "I…can't do anything more than provide you with comfort, Your Majesty."

Anger began to seep into the King's features, his frustrated grip on her shoulders tightening and his voice deathly calm as he pried, "Who have you been talking to? Minerva? Sting?" His grip tightened even more, but he didn't seem to notice that he was starting to hurt her, not even as she fought to restrain a wince, "You didn't give up on me because of my scar, so I'm not going to give up on you because of yours. Nothing that anyone says will force me to do otherwise."

"I'll always be with you, Natsu. We don't need to be married to be together," she swallowed, forcing a comforting smile onto her face to hide her own sorrow and regret. She'd stilled herself to do what she thought was best, even if she knew that it'd break both of their hearts. She'd never been the type of person to put herself before others, and this situation wasn't an exception. The nation couldn't handle changing rulers again, or at least not any time soon. And without the powerful families on his side, Natsu would be removed from the throne in an instant. He would be slaughtered and the title of King would be passed on to Sting. She couldn't let any of that happen, even if she knew that she was playing right into Sting's and Minerva's hands. "If I become the queen, I'll be tied down by the rules of the palace. I won't be able to see you whenever I want and I'll have to follow etiquette. That life doesn't suit me. You know that better than anyone."

She placed her hand on his cheek, and he unconsciously leaned into her touch, though his expression didn't soften in the least as his hands slid down her sides to rest on her hips. She gave him a soft smile, every ounce of her love for him pouring into her voice as she promised, "I'll be fine, Natsu."

His eyes didn't leave hers as he slowly reached across to grab the hand that she had rested on his cheek, his voice full of sincerity and affection, "Even if I can't marry you…" he softly shook his head, "…you can't leave me. I won't let you go. You're my person, remember?" He pulled her into his chest, desperately clinging onto her like he thought she really was going to disappear at any moment. He tilted his head, his lips right next to her ear as he lovingly whispered, "Even if you aren't this nation's queen… _you are my only queen_."

Lucy wrapped her arms around him, swallowing as she nodded her head and pretended not to notice the tears that dripped onto her shoulder.

* * *

The doors to the throne room creaked as they were pushed open, and the men inside the room all bowed to the King as he walked down to the aisle towards his throne, his new wife at his side.

She was dressed in a vibrant red hanbok with gold embellishments, the strings of white beads on her new crown clinking together as she walked.

There wasn't a single smile present on anyone's features, the atmosphere in the room greatly contrasting the mood of the colorful streamers that had been strung from the rafters.

Natsu himself looked the most down trodden. There wasn't a speck of joy or pleasure in his expression, only grim acceptance. His gaze remained numbly straight ahead, not even glancing at his wife as they made their way to stand in front of the throne.

Sting stepped forward from where he'd been standing between Gajeel and Jellal, the corner of his lips quirking a fraction as he lead the proclamation, "Long live the Queen!"

The rest of the men in the room bowed forward once more and repeated the chant, although Jellal did so a bit less willingly and exuberantly than the others.

As she took her seat on the throne next to the King, a wicked grin spread across Minerva's lips.

Finally, Ishgar was hers.

* * *

Lucy clutched at the hairpin Natsu had given her on their trip to Hargeon, the green, leaf-like gems digging into the flesh of her palm as she fought to keep her emotions under control.

She'd come to the prayer tower, desperately needing to get out of the palace while the wedding ceremony took place. She couldn't bear to be in her room for a second longer. Everything in it reminded her of him and how she'd broken his heart. He may not have said anything on the matter since the night she'd refused his proposal, but she could see it in the way that he looked at her. There was grief and pain in his onyx orbs, and sometimes, she swore she could see a pinch of hate and loathing as well. Whether it was directed at her or Sting or Minerva or god knows who else, she couldn't tell. But it was definitely there, and it only piled more guilt for what she had done into her chest.

She'd promised him that she would be okay, and she knew that with time, she would be, even if she was absolutely smothered by regret and sorrow in the present. They'd promised that they would still be together, and she was going to make sure that the time they spent together was worthwhile. She didn't have much time left anyways, only ten years at the most if the doctor was correct. She wouldn't let those years be filled with hate and regret, for both his sake and her own.

She turned over shoulder when the sound of whistling began to ring through the air, accompanied by the scuff of feet moseying through the dirt. She quirked a brow when she saw that Loke was slowly approaching her, his hands nonchalantly clasped behind his back as he made his way over.

He took in her confused expression, letting out a small scoff before he answered her unspoken question, "I wasn't invited to the ceremony either." He huffed out a breath, all aloofness disappearing from his demeanor and his features filling with genuine concern as he turned to examine her expression, "Are you really going to keep living in the palace? Even after all that's happened today?"

"Don't worry about me too much, Your Highness." She sighed as she faced the prayer tower once again, tucking the hairpin into the waist belt of her hanbok before pressing her palms together in front of her chest, "Before he died, King Igneel told me not to look too far ahead into the future. He told me to treasure the present. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to accept that this is the way things are going to be and I'll deal with it. There's no point in getting hung up on things that couldn't be avoided."

The orange haired prince scoffed again, "Why don't you just come live at my estate? It's better than the palace, that's for sure. My servants would treat you good. I got sick of the palace, so I left. There's no reason that you shouldn't be able to do the same." He grabbed her by her shoulders, spinning her around to face him and leaning in towards her face with a bright smile, "Why don't we just fly away from this place like birds? We can live freely and do all of the things you wanted to do."

Lucy gave him a regretful smile, "I wish we really could do all of that, but no matter how much we both hate this place there's no way for us to escape it. You can't forget that you're a Grand General, and the King will call on you to fight. You can't just abandon your duties-"

"I couldn't care less about my duties," he cut her off, his voice sharp and all excitement gone from his expression. "If you wanted to get out of this place, I would leave it all behind. Remember that, Lucy. "I want it." That's all you have to say, and I'll get you out of here."

* * *

Natsu's gaze was full of loathing as he lifted his new wife's red veil from over her face.

Consummation was a ceremonial part of Ishgar's wedding process, and the servants had prepared a room for them to lay together, scattering lit candles across every surface and hanging royal red fabrics from the rafters.

But the salmon haired King knew that there was no way he was doing such a thing with Minerva. The very thought of it repulsed him. Not only was she his half-sister, but he hated her with every fiber of his being.

Natsu's lips twisted in disgust when he settled the veil atop her head and saw the predatory gaze she possessed, letting out a harsh scoff before he turned on his heel and stalked towards the door of the room.

"You know…there are many ways in which Lucy can be used against you in the future."

His steps slowed to a stop when Minerva's voice sounded out, slowly turning over his shoulder to give her a furious glare.

"It'd be best to get rid of the risk while we-"

"Shut it," Natsu ground out. "You finally got what you wanted, didn't you? So just focus on being Queen. You've already done enough, so don't cross the line again."

He shoved the doors open and briskly exited the room, breaking years of tradition and refusing to sleep with his new wife on their wedding night.

Screw tradition. If it wasn't with Lucy, then he didn't want any part in it.

* * *

"My lady?"

Lucy jumped when the voice suddenly sounded out from right next to her, and she turned to find that Levy had come to stand by her without her noticing. The court lady had a lantern in hand, making the blonde realize how dark it had grown. She'd been at the prayer tower all day, too lost in her thoughts to be to be aware of the passing of time.

"My lady, are you alright?" She reached into the folds of her hanbok, pulling out a small, flat pillow with strings attached to the four corners. A soft, understanding smile formed on her face as she held it out to the blonde, "Here. It's for your knee. When your heart is hurting, your other ailments start to hurt more."

"Thank you," Lucy gave her friend a grateful smile, lovingly taking the small pillow into her hands and admiring Levy's embroidery.

The blue haired girl turned her gaze to the prayer tower, sighing wistfully as a nostalgic grin spread across her lips, "I remember how Lady Yukino used to pile stones up like this at Prince Sting's home."

The blonde nodded her head, "Yeah. She made a lot of these." She slowly inhaled a breath, "I…I miss her. It's been six years since she passed, but I still can't get over it."

Levy briefly glanced at her friend before lowering herself to her knees in front of the tower, pressing the palms of her hands together in front of her chest and closing her eyes.

"What are you praying for?" Lucy gently asked.

"I wasn't pray for anything," Levy admitted quietly. "I…I was thinking about my mother. She was so sick before she passed away, but every now and then I think that it's a relief that she didn't have to suffer any longer. I want her to know that I'm doing okay."

The blonde knelt down next to her friend, gently reaching to rest her hands on top of Levy's own, giving her a soft smile, which the blue haired court lady returned.

She was lucky to have a friend like Levy. She hadn't changed a bit since the blonde had first arrived in Ishgar, and she was loyal to a fault.

Lucy didn't know what she would without her.

* * *

 **AN**

 **A lot of people were asking me to get rid of the rid marriage between Natsu and Minerva, but I'm not gonna lie, I freaking love that part because it's so frustrating (Not to mention historically accurate because people didn't marry for love back in these days). I think a lot of people hate it because they desperately want Natsu and Lucy to be together, and I mean, I do to, but when it comes to choosing between romance and doing something that is logical and simultaneously heart crushing, I really couldn't care less about romance. I don't know if it was because I took AP Literature, but it's like my mind has been wired to look for why** **authors wrote something a specific way or why they even had it happen in the first place. And writing out this story has given me a whole new perspective on why things are the way they are in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Not only did this event really happen (because most of these characters were real people and a lot of these events are freakishly historically accurate), but also, I think that the marriage of the fourth prince and his sister really drives home the feeling of hopelessness and despair that has been with us throughout the entire show.**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading! And thank you to all of those who followed, favorited, and reviewed!**


	71. Chapter 71: My Revenge

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu's lips quirked at the corners as he looked around his throne room, feeling satisfied that it was now full of advisors and men who wanted to give him their support. Finally gaining the trust of the powerful families was the only positive thing he'd gained through his marriage to Minerva, and he was going to take as much pleasure in it as he could while it lasted. Because when the time was right, he was going to change how politics worked in Ishgar, and the powerful families wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

His smile immediately gave way to a displeased glower when Sting stepped out from the crowd to face his throne, "Just as you've commanded, Your Majesty, we're looking into how to distribute rice to those who were forced into labor during the construction of the new palace in Crocus."

The King only nodded his head. Sting had only been talking for a few moments, but Natsu was already sick of his brother's voice, and he had absolutely no desire to hear it for even a second more.

"Also, as for the management of the country's finances…please leave it to us."

Natus took only a moment to think over the request before he nodded again, simply answering, "Alright."

He was beginning to learn what it really meant to be King, and why Igneel had run the country in the manner that he had.

Being King meant making sacrifices. It meant throwing one's own desires aside for the sake of the betterment and safety of his country. He couldn't hold every ounce of power in his own hands. That had been Laxus' downfall, and he wasn't keen on making the same mistake. To maintain peace, he had to give in sometimes and be willing to work with those who would strike him down at a moment's notice if he ever displeased him.

Natsu's primary motivation for becoming King had been to release Ishgar from Laxus' tyrannical hold, and his care for the people this nation was still his primary concern. He knew that starting a war with the powerful families of the nation would tear the empire to shreds, both physically and politically. In order to stop that from happening, he would make all the sacrifices he needed to.

That was his mentality, at least for the moment. Patience was a virtue, and he would wait until the time was right to make his move.

Sting gave him a single nod before stepping back into line with the other advisors, each of which had a satisfied expression on their face.

"Moving on…" Natsu let out a heavy breath. He wasn't too pleased with the decree that he was about to make, but he'd been advised that it had to be done in order to maintain his throne, "…Fourteenth Prince Loke is guilty of treason, and will be punished by exile to his mother's hometown of Onibus. He'll be unable to step foot in this palace for the rest of his life."

"Natsu-" Jellal cut himself off in the middle of his own protest, stepping back in line with the rest of the ministers and clenching his hands together in front of himself. He'd thought there would be no more conflict amongst his brothers, and if there were going to be, he'd assumed that it would stem from Sting or Gajeel, not Natsu. But here the King was, condemning Loke to a lifetime in just one town, unable to step foot in the very palace that he'd lived in for his whole life up to this point.

The blue haired prince's fiery gaze was trained on the floor, a fraction of his previous anger gone from his voice as he ground out, "Your Majesty, you must state a clear reason for the weight of this punishment to make sense to your court."

Natsu cast a sideways glance at Gildarts, who stood at the side of his throne. The man gave him a small nod, and the King repeated the very same words that the astronomer had spoken to him earlier, "Loke created suspicion of my abdication by questioning Laxus' dying wishes. He opposed me with purpose. Taking into consideration that he's a brother with whom I share a mother, I'm not executing him, only removing him from his position as Grand General. If he even steps foot into Magnolia after today, he'll be put to death."

Jellal clenched his hands tighter. Natsu had once stated that one of his reasons for becoming King was to stop the princes from having to fight and kill one another.

But with the way Natsu was running the country, it seemed like the wellbeing of his brothers was the last thing on his mind.

* * *

"Sent…sent to his mother's hometown?" Lucy's voice was small as she repeated Jellal's words, her wide eyes trained on the blue haired prince that sat across from her.

"He's been exiled," Erza remarked solemnly from her place beside the prince. "It's the biggest punishment after execution. He's been stripped of all his titles as well, including Grand General and prince. He'll be considered as nothing more than a regular noble from now on."

Jellal's gaze was firmly planted on the table cloth, his fist unconsciously clenching and unclenching the maroon fabric of his hanbok, "He isn't allowed to return to Magnolia ever again. He can't even leave Onibus."

Lucy let out a small, disbelieving scoff, "He…he's a person who once led an army of three hundred thousand. He felt trapped in this palace and jumped over those walls to go out into the villages daily. How could he…how could Natsu…" Her voice filled with determination and she reached across to rest her hand on top of Jellal's, "We have to talk to Natsu. Loke will go insane if-"

"You can't get involved, Lucy," Erza pressed. "This isn't just an argument between brothers anymore. When they fought before, they were both of equal status. But now Natsu is King." Her voice softened, "You know better than anyone what happens to a person who gets in between the King and a criminal."

The fire disappeared from the blonde's gaze when she realized what, or rather _who_ , Erza was referring to.

Aquarius.

"Erza's right, Lucy," Jellal pulled his hand out from under hers to rest his palm on her shoulder. "Wait until the King has calmed down, then talk to him. He's still fearful that people will try to take the throne from him."

The blonde softly nodded her head, her drive to save Loke from his fate fading with every passing moment. She loved Natsu more than anything, but she didn't know if her heart could bear more anymore of the weight that his decisions were piling on it.

* * *

Minerva clenched her jaw as she strode to the bed in which Grandeeny lay. She'd been more than displeased when she arrived at the Queen's room, intent on shoving her new position in the old woman's face, only to find out that she was unconscious and in critical condition.

The new Queen turned her deadly glare on one of the servants at Grandeeny's bedside, "What happened?"

"She collapsed after she heard that Prince Loke had been exiled. The doctor told us that either Your Majesty or the King should be by her side at all times. He…he thinks that she will pass on soon."

Minerva turned her gaze to the old Queen when her eyes fluttered open, and between ragged breaths she huffed out, "Loke…Bring my son to me…"

One of the servants took an eager step forward, "I have sent for the King-"

"N-no," Grandeeny weakly shook her head. "It has to be Loke…I need to see him."

Minerva looked over her shoulder when the doors to the room were pushed open, and her eyes widened a fraction when Natsu stepped through them. She knew that he absolutely loathed his mother, and the fact that he'd responded to the call about her condition genuinely shocked her, "Your…Your Majesty?"

His gaze reminded fixed on his ailing mother, his voice firm as he stated, "I'll take care of her myself from now on. No one may enter this room without my permission." Before anyone could say a word, he was striding forward, snatching a cloth from a nearby servant's hand and taking a seat on the edge of his mother's bed.

Despite her condition, Grandeeny managed to give him a fiery glare. But Natsu smiled softly at her nonetheless, using the cloth to dab at the sweat on her forehead, "You need to recover soon…mother."

* * *

Loke dashed up the steps to the palace, only one thought on his mind as he skipped steps in his hurry. Two lines of guards greeted him on the landing, the one nearest to him drawing his sword upon his approach.

The orange haired prince sent him a furious glare, "I must see my mother. Move." When none of them so much as flinched, he took a step forward, "I said move!"

The rest of the guards drew their swords as well, pointing them towards the prince with cold, uncaring stares.

Loke clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists at his sides, "I won't take a single step away from this palace until I see my mother. So either you get out of my way, or I die standing here."

* * *

Lucy swallowed heavily as she prepared herself to break the heavy silence that had settled upon her and Natsu. They never said much at their dinners anymore, not since Natsu had married Minerva. And it wasn't comfortable silence that they sat in, it was thick and suffocating, growing more intense with each passing day.

But Lucy wouldn't let her thoughts go unsaid this time. She'd been planning to follow Jellal and Erza's advice, but then she'd heard about Grandeeny's condition, and now Loke was protesting outside the palace.

She'd been in the same position as the orange haired prince all those years ago, when she'd begged Igneel to set Aquarius free. She knew what it was like, to remain standing only because you were desperately praying that you would see that one person again before they passed, and she would do whatever she could to help him.

"Natsu…please let Loke into the palace. If Grandeeny doesn't recover and ends up passing, the fact that you stopped your little brother from saying goodbye will haunt you-"

The King slammed his chopsticks down onto the table, and the blonde flinched when his sharp gaze zeroed in on her. She'd seen his fierce glare countless times, but it'd been years since she'd been on the receiving end of it.

"You're the one that sent for Loke and told him about our mother's condition, aren't you? I forbade anyone from letting him know. You're the only one that's brave enough to disobey my command, so it has to be you."

"Yes. It was me," Lucy answered steadily, unaffected by the power and slight trace of anger in his words. She poured all of the spite she had been holding inside herself into her voice as she spat, "Loke's been away, fighting _your_ battles and protecting _your_ nation's borders. He returned to Magnolia for your wedding, which you didn't even invite him to. You threw him out of the palace during the ceremony, and even after that, he still went back to war for you. He probably hasn't seen Grandeeny for weeks, and we all know that she's not going to recover. Loke should be at her bedside until she passes. No matter what grudge you hold against your family, are you really cruel enough that you would prevent a loyal son from seeing his ailing mother for the last time?"

Natsu let out a scoff, "So you want Loke to die along with our mother?"

"What?"

"I've already given my command, Lucy," the King pressed, his tone of voice letting her know that he wasn't in the mood to be argued with. "I've given him today to leave the palace. His exile starts tomorrow. After today, if he even steps foot in Magnolia, I'll have him executed."

"Natsu!" the blonde protested.

"Forget about it, Lucy. Just be relieved that I haven't already executed him for treason."

He stood and began walking towards the doors before she could say anything more, but Lucy didn't think that she could get her voice to work even if she did have something to say.

Becoming King had changed Natsu in a way that she would never have imagined possible, and she couldn't even begin to comprehend as to why he had changed. Winning the throne was supposed to solve everything and make their burdens go away. It was supposed to prevent the rest of the princes from facing the same fate as Gray and Zeref.

And in the beginning of his reign, it really had seemed like all of that was going to be the case. But for reasons she didn't know, Natsu had thrown those ideals aside.

His steps slowed to a stop, and he turned to face her once more, "If I find out that someone let Loke into the palace, I won't let it slide, even if it's you."

The doors slammed shut after him, and the first of many tears slid down the blonde's cheeks.

This wasn't the man she knew. This wasn't the man she'd fallen in love with.

* * *

Jellal huffed out a breath as he made his way up the steps to the palace, a canteen of water clutched in his grasp. What he was about to do could get him executed, but he didn't feel any trace of fear as he made his way towards his younger brother. He shoved the canteen into his hands before the weary orange haired prince could even process that he was there, only giving a small nod before he slipped through the gates and into the palace.

The fourteenth threw the lid of the canteen aside, chugging half of it before pouring the rest of it over his head to spur himself back into full awareness.

The sun had long since risen, but Loke still stood in front of the gates to the palace. His exile had begun, and with the new day, his protest had turned into outright defiance.

But he didn't give a damn.

He would disobey as many commands as he needed to in order to see his mother again.

* * *

Natsu's lips twisted in anger as he rested a spoon on his mother's bottom lip and slowly tilted it towards her mouth. Her lips remained firmly pressed together, the soup spilling down her cheeks and staining her white pillow a light brown.

The King set the bowl of soup and the spoon on the tray next to him before turning back towards her, "It's been days since you've eaten. Do you really plan on dying like this?"

Her eyes remained squeezed shut, her breaths raspy as she ignored every word that slipped from his mouth.

Natsu huffed out a breath, retrieving a cloth from the bedside table and moving to dab away the soup that had spilled down her cheeks.

She turned away from him, barely managing to wheeze out, "Loke…Loke…"

His jaw clenched in anger, "Open your eyes, mother. Which son is by your side now? Laxus, your once perfect child, is dead now. And Loke, who is the apple of your eye, isn't here. All you have is me. I've become King and I'm spending precious time taking care of you."

Her eyes slowly peeled open, her lips quivering in fury as she recalled his words to her on the night he had come stumbling into her room six years ago, blood covered and seeking her approval.

 _"You'll remember this day…and I'll do everything I can to make you regret it."_

Her rugged breathing quickened when his gaze became almost animalistic, "I'll build a temple in your honor. It'll be the largest and grandest temple in all of Ishgar. I'll create stories about our relationship and spread them everywhere. I'll tell everyone about how much you cared for me, and how fond I was of you. We'll be a mother and a son who loved one another so much. Everyone will know about it. And to all of Ishgar, I…will become your one and only precious son."

To any other mother, such words would have been endearing. But Natsu was her shame, disgrace, greatest flaw. She'd been the one to scar his face, and she'd thought throwing him aside that night would finally rid herself of all of the misfortune

To have their relationship falsely remembered by all of Ishgar in such a way was the worst thing he could do to her.

"This…is my revenge…for being thrown away by you," despite the gravity and cruelty of his words, there were tears gathering in the King's eyes.

The old Queen began gasping for breaths, her eyes going wide as she seemed to choke on the air that she desperately dragged down her throat.

Her hand slowly reached towards him, her finger tips barely brushing against the skin where his scar rested before falling limp.

Natsu caught her wrist before it could hit the mattress, the tears finally slipping down his cheeks as her eyes slowly slid shut.

He didn't think that it would hurt this much to see her pass. She'd been cause of most of his misfortune, and he and his loved ones had suffered at her hands for years.

But nothing could change the fact that she was his mother. His care for her and his desire to earn her love seemed to be engrained into his very being.

He told himself over and over that he shouldn't be crying, but no matter how much he fought them, the tears wouldn't stop.

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath as she stepped through the gates of the palace, her heart heavy and chest tight as she thought over the message she carried.

Loke seemed to perk up as soon as he caught sight of her, and his expression only caused her sorrow to deepen. He'd been standing outside the palace in the blazing sun for nearly twenty four hours, and despite the weariness she knew he must be feeling, there was an overwhelming amount of hope in his eyes. It broke her heart to know that what she was about to tell him would snuff it out for good.

She came to a stop just in front him, and it seemed that her expression alone was enough to tell him what he wanted to know.

He stumbled back a few steps, Lucy barely managing to dart forward and catch his upper body before his head hit the ground.

* * *

Lucy watched on solemnly as Loke kneeled by his mother's bedside, his hands desperately clutched around Grandeeny's own.

She couldn't care less about what would happen to her because she brought Loke into the palace. It was too late for him to give Grandeeny a proper goodbye, but Lucy knew that he deserved to see her one last time before she was buried.

The blonde looked over her shoulder when the doors creaked open, her eyes widening when Natsu strode through them.

There was a furious glare on his face as soon as he caught sight of his little brother, but his eyes were puffy and red. Lucy momentarily grieved over the fact that he was experienced enough with grief to be capable of holding his sorrow inside and putting up a false front. But his next words sent anger rushing through her veins.

The King huffed out a breath, "I've seen reason, and you won't be punished for disobeying your exile as long as you're back in Onibus by tonight. I'll provide you with a horse and supplies, so you can leave now. I'll take good care of mother."

The blonde quickly stepped in front of the orange haired prince, blocking him from the King's view, "That's enough, Natsu! Can't you see how upset Loke is? Can't you give him a moment to grieve?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he stared at her, but he didn't shout back like she'd been expecting. He simply glared at her for a moment before clenching his jaw and turning on his heel, his chin held high as he disappeared down the hallway.

She considered running after him for a moment, fully intent on dragging him back and forcing him to make amends with his brother. She still had more she wanted to yell at him for too, finally feeling fed up with all of his decisions and their consequences.

But a sudden sob from behind her had her spinning around, and she crouched down next to Loke, pulling him in to her side as he fell to pieces at his mother's deathbed.

* * *

"Why are you on Loke's side?! _You,_ of all people, should be on my side no matter what!"

Lucy clenched her jaw. She'd known that this moment was coming, and she'd diligently prepared herself for it. She wasn't going to let Natsu get away with what he'd done.

"This isn't about taking sides! Because of your ego, Loke wasn't able to say goodbye to his mother!"

"So what? You pity him?" He leaned down into her face, his voice still at full volume, "He isn't the pitiable one! It was always me who was cast aside!"

The blonde huffed out a breath, "Natsu-"

"Before she died, she finally touched my face. In all my twenty-nine years of life, I've never had her to myself!" His voice grew slightly choked, and despite his anger, tears threatened to spill from his eyes once more, "Is it so wrong to want to send her off on my own?"

Lucy's expression softened at his words, and she moved to place her hand on his cheek. But he caught her wrist before she could, forcing her hand back to her side as he ground out, "You…should have said you understood me."

He turned and strode out the doors to Lucy's room before she could say anything else, leaving the blonde by herself once again.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	72. Chapter 72: Just A Person In Love

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

" _Please help me!"_

" _Scram kid!"_

 _The small girl didn't make a sound as the man shook himself out her grip on his arm, sending her small frame tumbling into the dirt. She was used to the rough treatment by now, facing the same trials every day as she fought to survive. Such was the life of a slave, and those who couldn't endure it died._

 _Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a red palanquin at the end of the road, and she ran towards it without hesitation._

 _A palanquin carried royalty, and royals were rich._

" _Please help me!"_

 _One of the large guards at the front of the group grasped her shoulders and tossed her aside, but she didn't let that stop her. She rolled to kneel to the palanquin, her hands clasped together as she bent her upper body forward in bow and continued to plead, "Please help me! I'll do anything! Please!"_

 _There was a clanking in the dirt next to her head, and she looked up to see a chunk of silver only a few inches away._

 _A small chuckle from inside the palanquin drew her gaze upward, and she caught sight of the person inside through the sheer red canopy that surrounded him. His hair was as black as the night sky, and he looked to be only a few years older than herself. If she were to guess by his clothing and the men that accompanied him, she would say he was a prince._

 _There was smirk on his face as he gazed at her through the sheer fabric that separated them, "I like your persistence. What's your name?"_

 _The little girl clutched the lump of silver in between her hands, a small sniffle escaping her before she quietly answered, "Levy. My name's Levy."_

" _Levy, huh?" The boy's lips quirked at the corners, "I'm Gajeel."_

* * *

"Who was it that put the mercury in Zeref's bathwater? It was Sting, wasn't it?"

Gajeel scoffed at Natsu's words, his arms folded across his chest and his gaze off to the side, "I don't know anything about it."

The salmon haired man's eyes narrowed, "The girl who was once a servant at Sting's estate, Levy…was she not a servant in your home originally? Wasn't it you and Sting that allowed her to work in the palace?"

At the mention of the blue haired court lady, the Ninth Prince's cold gaze zeroed in on the King.

"The attack on Zeref, and the fabrication of Gray's revolt…Those were all Sting's ideas, right?"

Gajeel said nothing, his jaw clenched and his furious glare remaining fastened to his brother's face.

Natsu huffed out a breath at the prince's silence, leaning back in his throne and running his hand over the golden armrests, "I'm finally King, so I'm going to make sure that justice served and someone's punished for the suffering that befell Zeref in his last days. Somebody's guilty, and if you don't say it was Sting…then I'm going to have to assume that it was you."

"It wasn't me," the prince ground out. "You know I don't have the capacity to pull off something like that."

"If you continue to hide who the culprit really is," Gildarts spoke up from his place next to Natsu's throne, "we'll punish you for selling silver to merchants by fooling them of the weight. The punishment is being put into a boiling cauldron. If you give us the identity of the one who poisoned the late King Zeref, your punishment will be removed."

There was silence for a moment, Gajeel's jaw furiously working as he thought about his next move. He let out a heavy sigh, his arms unfolding and falling to his sides, "I only did the things I was told to. It was all Sting. He planned it all with Laxus."

Natsu slammed his hand onto the table in front him. He'd known that Sting was behind it all for quite some time. The blonde prince had made it fairly obvious where his loyalties lied on numerous occasions. But there had always been a small part of the King that was desperately hoping it wasn't true, that there was still some good left in the brother that he'd once known to be the most caring of all the princes.

To have his suspicions confirmed by someone who'd been on the same side as Sting made his blood boil, and his anger at what had happened to Zeref and Gray now had a clear target. Laxus wasn't alone in his blame. Sting was also responsible for Gray's and Zeref's deaths, which meant there was still justice to be served.

* * *

Lucy's brows furrowed as she quietly made her way down the stairs into the entryway of the palace.

There was hardly a court lady in sight, and those that were scattered about the large room spoke to each other in hushed tones, their faces grim.

A flash of scarlet caught the blonde's gaze, and she hurried over to speak with the gisaeng in hushed tones, "Erza, what's with the mood in here?"

"I have no idea," the scarlet haired woman remarked. "Things have been like this since this morning."

The blonde pursed her lips, "Levy should know. Let's go find her."

* * *

 _Levy bit her lip as she tried to get her brush to move in the direction she wanted. Learning to read and write wasn't as easy as she'd hoped, no matter how smart she'd proclaimed herself to be. The bristles kept splaying out, ruining her hard work and making her characters look sloppy._

" _You're using too much pressure, shrimp."_

 _Her eyes widened when a calloused hand came to rest on top of hers on the brush, the other hand coming to lightly press against her lower back. Her cheeks warmed when Gajeel leaned over her right shoulder to get a better look at the paper, and her eyes remained trained on his face as he began to her hand through the motions of writing her own name._

* * *

Lucy's brows furrowed as she entered the palace's courtyard, Erza at her side and appearing just as confused.

Court ladies were gathered in the open space, collectively flinching with every sharp smack that rang through the air.

The blonde could see glimpses of silver through the gaps, letting her know that the palace guards stood in the center of the congregation, where the continuous pounding originated from.

She gently set her hand on a nearby court lady's shoulder, the girl flinching and whipping around with wide eyes. Lucy was taken aback when she saw the tears that streamed down the girl's cheeks, her voice soft as she quietly inquired, "What's going on? Why are you all here?"

The girl took a deep breath, glancing towards the center of the group before shakily breathing out, "The King wanted us all to watch."

"The King?"

"He says that this is what will happen if you speak carelessly in the palace."

Lucy's eyes widened.

The sound of pounding.

Someone was getting punished, and Natsu was using it as a statement.

She forced her way through the mass of court ladies to the center with Erza following in her stead, her heart dropping when she caught two guards continuously pounding on a roll of woven hay with their metal bats. The hay was splotched with red, and it didn't take the blonde long to realize that the criminal was rolled up in side.

Her eyes zeroed in on Gildarts, who stood off to the side, his gaze downcast. She stormed up to him without a second of hesitation, demanding an explanation, "What's going on? Why the hell would Natsu do something as awful as this?!"

The astronomer cast a glance towards the roll of hay, quietly informing her, "A court lady committed a serious crime. She's being punished by a beating."

"A court lady?" Erza repeated.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat when realization dawned on her, her heart sinking further as she quietly, fearfully asked, "Who…who is it?"

Gildarts said nothing, his gaze returning to the ground.

The blonde shoved him backwards with hand to his chest, grief and denial starting to overtake her senses even though her fears had yet to be confirmed, "Who is it?!"

The astronomer swallowed, his voice small as he quietly answered, "It's Levy."

Lucy's eyes slid shut. In the mass of court ladies, she hadn't caught sight of a head of familiar blue hair. A small part of her had known that it was her friend from the moment she caught sight of the roll of hay. But she'd ignored it, refusing to believe that such a horrible fate had befallen Levy, and at Natsu's hands no less.

She slowly sucked in a breath, and with a heavy heart, she started towards the bloodied roll of hay. Erza caught her wrist, but she shook herself out of the gisaeng's grip.

One of the guards roughly kicked the roll, causing it to unfurl, and a horrid scream escaped the blonde's lips when the bloodied and broken form of her friend tumbled out.

The blue haired girl was dressed in all white, but hardly an inch of the once pure fabric remained untouched by blood. Her blue hair was a mess, matted to the blood that had poured from her nose and smeared across her cheek. Her right arm was bent at a sickening angle, obviously broken.

The sight of her body was too much for Lucy's heart to take.

Her vision went blurry, the feeling of falling into a pair of warm arms taking over her senses. She vaguely heard Erza cry her name, and then there was only black.

* * *

Natsu clenched his jaw, turning his gaze from the sleeping mat where Lucy's unconscious form lay to the doctor that'd been tending to her, "What happened? Why didn't you tell me she was sick?!"

The old man bowed to the King, "My...my apologies, Your Majesty. She asked me to keep it a secret so that she could tell you herself when the time was right."

"Get out," the salmon haired man furiously spat.

The doors slammed shut after the old doctor, and Natsu spun around when Lucy startled awake with a small gasp.

He crouched down next to her, wrapping an arm around her back to support her as she tried to sit up with a moan, "You can't get up yet-"

She roughly shook off his grip, her fists clenching in the sheets that had piled into her lap when she'd sat up.

"Lucy-"

"Go away, you bastard!" she shoved his arms away when he tried to lend her his support once again, her eyes filled with loathing despite the tears that had gathered in them. "How could you? How could you do that to her?!"

Natsu's lips pressed into a thin line, his voice unwavering as he stated, "Levy…she'd been spying on you this whole time."

"What?" the blonde quietly breathed out.

"I threatened Gajeel, and he told me about what he, Sting, and Laxus had done to get what they wanted. Levy was a servant at Gajeel's estate before she was transferred to Sting's, and he used their past to earn her help. She told him and Sting everything about us. She's the one that said she saw you writing in an alphabet that nobody knows, and they were trying to create suspicion that you were a foreign spy."

Lucy's eyes widened a fraction.

 _Levy's eyebrows furrowed as she caught sight of what Lucy had been writing, "I…I may not be able to read, but…none of those characters look evenly slightly familiar. Are those words?"_

 _"Yeah, they are. You should really learn to read and write, Levy."_

 _The blue haired court lady let out a light scoff, "I'm too old to be able to learn something like that."_

Natsu's voice was solemn as he continued, "Therefore, she holds some of the responsibility for preventing us from getting married. She was also the one who put the mercury in Zeref's bathwater, so it's her fault that he suffered so much at the end of his life."

Lucy numbly stared at the salmon haired man, tears silently beginning to stream down her cheeks.

 _"Levy…you and I are the only ones who attend to the King," Lucy tentatively started, her gaze resting on the blue haired court lady that sat next to her on the bed. But the small girl wouldn't meet her gaze, her focus instead on her lap._

 _"Whether it was getting the bath water or preparing the herbal medicine. No one else touched it. So how could there be mercury in the water?"_

 _"It wasn't me," Levy shakily started, finally raising her head and making eye contact with the blonde. "I'm telling the truth."_

It couldn't be true. Levy would never do such a thing.

"Do you remember when you first entered the palace?" Natsu asked. "You came through the cave that comes up to the royal springs. It was Levy who first told you about that place, right? She told Gajeel about it, too. That's why Gray and Juvia couldn't escape. He and Sting knew about it, and they had the royal guards waiting there because they knew that they would try to use it to leave the palace."

Lucy lowered her head, her tears dripping onto the sheets as she shakily sucked in a breath. Her heart felt like it was going to burst, but she couldn't bring herself to make Natsu stop talking. Her throat was incredibly tight, and her voice wouldn't obey her command. So she sat in silence, the beating of her heart quickening with every word that slipped from the King's mouth.

"She asked you to talk me into letting her stay in the palace when I was going to let her go. She was trying to stay by your side to keep us apart." His voice suddenly turned cold and harsh, his jaw clenched as he ground out, "I had no reason or need to forgive her for what she had done."

Lucy shakily exhaled, her voice hoarse as she choked out, "That girl…Levy…her only crime was being born as a slave. She…she was like my sister…"

The blonde dissolved into quiet sobbing, and Natsu tentatively reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shake him off like he had been expecting, though he had a feeling that it was because she was too weak to rather than being because she wasn't angry with him anymore.

He let out a heavy sigh, "Get more rest. And forget everything about Levy."

Feeling like he'd put the poor blonde through enough, he stood and left the room without even saying goodbye.

Lucy sat numb silence for a moment before her eyes began to aimlessly wander about her room. It'd only been two weeks since she'd decorated it with Levy's help, and everywhere she looked reminded her of the small court lady. Her eyes landed on a piece of folded, white fabric that rested on a table a few feet away. The red splotched fabric looked drastically out of place amidst the bottles of herbs that surrounded it, and she knew right away that it hadn't been there when she'd left her room this morning.

She crawled over to the small table, and with quivering hands, took the splotched fabric into her hands and began to read.

* * *

Jellal couldn't help but jump as Natsu swept his arm across the table that rested in front of his throne, sending teacups and plates smashing into the floor.

The salmon haired man clutched at the armrests of his throne, his fingers turning white as he ground out, "Everything is Sting's fault. All of this happened because of him!"

The blue haired prince took a step forward, fully aware of what Natsu was capable of when angered to this point. The fact that the King had downed an entire bottle of soju only moments ago was no small concern either, "Natsu, calm down-"

"Everyone's gone because of him! Gray, Juvia, and Zeref…All I have left is you and Lucy! And now Lucy thinks I'm a monster…and it's all his fault!" The salmon haired man clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together and his gaze animalistic, "I'll make Sting pay. I'll make him pay for all that he's done!"

* * *

' _Dear Lady Lucy…'_

The blonde slowly sucked in a breath. It was from Levy. The blue haired girl was the only one who called her that.

And with the fabric unfolded, she could clearly tell that the message had been written blood. The characters were precise nonetheless, and her heart broke even more when she thought about how Levy must've lied to her about being illiterate.

' _My lady, I know that the end is coming soon. The soldiers dragged me out of my room in the middle of the night, and they threw me into this cell. I wanted to admit everything to you. I don't have the chance to do that anymore…I'm just a person who couldn't stop loving once I started. I'm a foolish person like that. Gajeel took me in off the streets after my mother died, and I worked diligently every day to repay him for saving my life. Somewhere along the way, my devotion for him grew beyond that of a servant to its master. I love him. I'm certain that you'll understand how I feel. But I don't regret loving him, and I don't resent anyone for what's going to happen to me. Whether there's value in doing something or not…that is something only you can decide for yourself.'_

Lucy's hands fell into her lap once she had finished reading, the fabric piling on top of itself on the floor in front of her. Too many that she cherished had died for the ones that they loved. Aquarius. Gray and Juvia. And now Levy was part of that list.

Natsu had once told her that everyone in the palace was lonely, and now she was really starting to believe those words.

* * *

Lucy numbly stared at the pond that rested in the palace's entryway, the hairpin that Natsu had given her clutched tightly in her hand. She'd come to throw it into the water, but no matter how much she willed herself to do it, her arm wouldn't move.

The sound of footfalls on the hardwood floors echoed around her, and someone came to a stop at her side. She didn't have to look to know that it was Jellal, the weary sigh he let out giving her enough to figure out his identity.

"I went to visit you in your room but it was empty. I thought I might find you here."

The blonde shakily inhaled, her voice small as she breathed out, "What should I do now? The person I love…killed a girl that was like my sister."

Jellal's lips pressed into a thin line, "Natsu has known for a long time that Levy was up to something. That's why he tried to get her to leave the palace. If she'd left when she was told to…I don't think that she would have faced the same fate."

"No matter what she did wrong…how could he punished her so cruelly?" She sniffled as a few tears escaped her eyes once more, "I don't…I don't know how I can escape this misery. Levy…was just a person in love."

Jellal's eyes widened a fraction when the blonde let out a small gasp, her hand coming to rub at her chest, "You're making me anxious, Lucy. And Natsu…he's worried about you, too."

She took a few deep breaths, and the pain in her chest went away. Her hand fell back to her side, and she turned to the prince with a soft smile, "I have a favor to ask of you, Jellal."

His brows furrowed when she held her hand out to him, the white hibiscus hair pin resting on her palm.

"Give this to Loke. And give him this message as well…"

The blue haired prince gently took the hairpin from her grasp, "What is it?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip, her mind running over Loke's words to her on the day of Natsu's and Minerva's wedding.

 _"If you wanted to get out of this palace, I would leave it all behind. Remember that, Lucy. "I want it." That's all you have to say, and I'll get you out of here."_

The blonde swallowed heavily, her voice small as she gave the prince her message, "Tell him…'I want it.'"

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	73. Chapter 73: Eternal Companion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Lucy kept her head down as Natsu made his way up the steps she was sitting on, not even looking at him as he approached. Jellal had just left to deliver her message to Loke, leaving her alone in the entryway of the palace. But she didn't want to go back to her room. Everything in it reminded her of Levy, and her heart grew heavy when she thought of her friend and the cruel end shed faced.

Natsu let out a heavy sigh when he stopped two steps below her, his voice soft as he asked, "You're not feeling well, so why are you sitting out here? Let's go back to your room."

The blonde's eyes finally slid to the King, her jaw clenched as she gave him a subtle glare.

He swallowed when their eyes made contact, but he pushed through the tension and forced a gentle smile onto his face as he held his hand out to her, "Come on. I've been wanting to talk to you, and this isn't the best place to do it."

Her eyes fell to his hand for the briefest of moments before she turned her gaze to the side, quietly remarking, "I can't go back to that room."

Natsu's hand slowly fell back to his side, "Don't do this to me because of Levy. She fooled you. She was never sincere with you, not even once."

Lucy thought back to her first days in Ishgar. Levy had been the one to accompany her almost everywhere, and her devotion was more than apparent through her actions for the blonde.

 _"Yes, go! Please, go!" Levy thrust the package of Lucy's belongings into the blonde's arms, "Even if I get beaten to death, I won't tell them where you went, My Lady!"_

Even in more recent memories the blue haired court lady had always been forthright, giving aid wherever possible.

 _Levy reached into the folds of her hanbok, pulling out a small, flat pillow with strings attached to the four corners. A soft, understanding smile formed on her face as she held it out to the blonde, "Here. It's for your knee. When your heart is hurting, your other ailments start to hurt more."_

"Levy…" Lucy started softly, "…was sincere to me. I don't care what you say. She was sincere."

"Now what?" the salmon haired man questioned, a trace of spite in his voice. "Are you going to trust her over me?"

She slowly sucked in a breath, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap, "I want to leave the palace."

All of the anger disappeared from Natsu's expression when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, his face going slack.

"I want to leave this place. I cannot bear all of this any longer."

"What about me?" The harshness began to seep back into the King's voice, "You think I'll just let you leave? You…can _never_ leave."

He started up the rest of the steps without another word, and Lucy watched him go with an incredulous look in her eyes.

She hated the way that he spoke. He made it sound like he held ownership over her, that she held no say and her reality would be shaped by his decisions alone.

Aquarius had once warned her that those who were inexperienced with love could often be greedy for it once they got their first taste.

It seemed that such was the case with Natsu after all, even though they'd spent years in bliss with one another without so much as a trace of the behaviors that he displayed at present. He'd never been so controlling, and she'd even thought that he often found it amusing when she would assert herself and take matters into her own hands.

But now she could clearly see that becoming King had a profound impact on his character.

And just like love, power was addictive.

Lucy had somehow found herself caught in the middle of Natsu's two desires, and now she was facing the consequences. She'd been the one to help him take the throne, and never before had she felt so much regret for her actions.

* * *

Lucy's heart was heavy as she pushed the parcel she'd prepared across the table towards Gildarts, "Please find Levy's family and let them know. She told me that she had two brothers, and they serve a family in the village just outside the palace. This is all that I have for now, but if they need anything else, I'll do whatever I can to get it."

The astronomer let out a heavy sigh, "Lucy, you know that by doing this you might anger the King."

"I don't care," the blonde responded without a second of hesitation. "Levy was worrying about the ones she loved even while she was awaiting her own death. If Natsu gets upset by it, then I'll face the consequences."

Gildarts huffed out a breath, giving in with a small nod and taking the parcel from the table as he stood.

Lucy rose to her feet as well, preparing to bow to the astronomer as a farewell.

She stopped short when the doors to the room they were meeting in swung open, laughter soon bouncing off the walls.

Her gaze zeroed in on the man at the front of the group of advisors that entered.

It was him. Gajeel.

And he was smirking, chuckling at something one of the men behind him said.

Levy loved him. She died because of her devotion to him.

And here he was, laughing as if nothing had happened.

The prince quirked a brow and came to a stop next to Gildarts when he caught sight of the fierce glare she was giving him, a small scoff escaping his lips, "You got something you wanna say, blondie?"

"Levy has died," Lucy ground out, barely managing to restrain herself from lunging at the man.

"So?"

The prince didn't even flinch, and unadulterated anger flooded the blonde's senses, "You shouldn't be so calm and composed. It was your fault."

"My fault?" His jaw clenched as he leaned down into her face, "You must be crazy to accuse a prince of such a thing."

"You'll regret it," Lucy spat back without missing a beat, immune to his attempts at intimidating her. "Levy devoted her life towards helping you, and you threw her aside to save your own skin. I promise you that a day will come when you regret what you did."

He let out an incredulous scoff, "Ever since you became the King's mistress, you think that you can do whatever you please."

"Mistress?" the blonde repeated, her desire to strangle the man in front of her growing stronger with every passing second. She might've lunged for him had he gotten the chance to say another word, but the advisors that accompanied him ushered him from the room before he could.

Lucy fell back into her chair after he was gone, Gildarts rushing to her side and asking if she was alright as she took deep breaths to ease the tightening of her chest. Standing up to the prince like that had taken a lot of out her, more than her heart could take, and she had to wonder if she really did have ten years left like the doctor said.

* * *

Lucy bowed to Natsu as she entered his room, "You asked to see me?"

He turned to her from where he'd been gazing out his window at one of the palace's gardens, his lips pressed into a thin line, "Gildarts told me about what happened earlier with Gajeel. I'll make you a royal concubine so that no one insults you in such a way ever again."

"There's no need for that," she replied quietly, her eyes still focused on the floor.

"It's better than being called a mistress," Natsu haughtily pressed. "You'll be treated as the highest woman in the palace, second only to the Queen. Once you have a child, you'll be proclaimed the second Queen."

Lucy chose to forgo reminding him of the reason that they couldn't marry, deciding that it would probably have little impact given his current mood. She found it strange that he was so concerned about her feelings when only last night he had blatantly refused to hear her out on her desires, "Natsu…the reason I want to leave the palace isn't because of how people here treat me."

"If you don't want to be Queen, then discuss it with Gildarts and choose a title that you want. I'll make it happen."

"Natsu," the blonde protested. He had completely missed her point, pushing her further towards irritation.

"I've already told you that you can't leave, so stop being so stubborn." He reached down and took one of her hands between both of his own, his voice softening a great deal, "Let's not fight. Have you forgotten how long we had to be apart from one another? We shouldn't let our relationship waste away over a small matter like this."

Lucy's mouth fell open a fraction at his words. A small matter? Could he really not tell how much living in the palace was wearing her down? Her sanity was at stake, and her health was no small concern either.

She pulled her hand from his, and left the room without another word.

* * *

Sting's eyes narrowed at the words that his ninth brother had just told him, "Natsu's going to read 'The Essentials of Government in the Pergrande Reign?'"

"I saw Gildarts hand it to him this morning," Gajeel affirmed.

"I don't know what they're planning," the blonde prince ground out, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest, "and it's driving me insane."

"You can't trust either of them, and don't let you guard down." A wicked smirk spread across the Ninth Prince's lips, "We just have to cut him off from his right hand man. Then he won't be able to do a thing."

Sting quirked a brow, "Are you referring to Jellal?"

Gajeel gave him a small nod, his smirk widening, "Without Jellal, Natsu won't have anyone on his side other than a lowly former court lady and astronomer. It'll be easy to get rid of him with what I have in mind."

* * *

Erza smiled softly at the little girl that'd just bumped into her, sending her back to her friends with a ruffle of her hair. Jellal let out a small chuckle when the children resumed their playing, their antics just as wild as before despite having run into someone only moments ago.

They had taken to meeting in the market place as of late, both of them growing tired of the atmosphere in the palace. They felt much more at ease out here anyways, not having watch their every action and word in case someone was listening in.

The gisaeng's pleasant smile began to fade when Jellal suddenly turned to her as they strolled, slight traces of irritation in his voice as he pressed, "Why are you still holding back? We've already had you registered to a good family, so there's no need for us to put off our marriage any longer."

She let out a heavy sigh, "My people are still suffering. I can't just marry and settle down when they have to fight to survive another day. I've told you that before."

"Yeah, and don't you remember response? After our marriage you'll have a direct relation to the King, and that gives us a greater chance at finally emancipating your people from slavery."

Erza suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, the prince following her wide eyed gaze to a small group of people who were congregated on the side of the dirt road. In the center of the gathered villagers, numerous bloodied bodies were strung up against poles, wooden slates hanging from their necks and proclaiming them runaway slaves.

The scarlet haired gisaeng shoved her way forward through the group of villagers, staggering to a stop when she saw that children were also amongst the dead.

"Why can't the people from Bosco just pay their taxes? It's their own fault that they died like this."

Jellal shot the old woman who spoke such harsh words a glare, trying to be gentle despite his anger as he placed his hands on Erza's shoulders and tried to lead her away.

But the gisaeng shook out of his grip, anger flooding her senses as she stared at what had been done to her people.

* * *

"The slaves from Bosco have started an uprising, Your Majesty. They've already set fire to ten homes, and many members of Magnolia's powerful families have died. We can't just sit and watch anymore."

Natsu's lips pressed into a thin line at Gildarts words. This was the first major conflict he'd been faced with whilst on the throne, and he was grievous over the fact that it struck so close to home. He was by no means as close to Erza as Jellal and Lucy were, but she'd given him her aid on more than one occasion, and he considered her his friend nonetheless. The fact that these revolting slaves were her people made him more wary to jump into combat with them, knowing the consequences that such an action would bring.

Erza had already tried to assassinate one king, and he knew that she was fully capable of attempting such a thing again.

"The powerful families have asked that you send soldiers to their aid," Sting added in from place in front of the throne.

Natsu clenched his jaw at the smug expression on his brother's face, "I'm not sending soldiers. That would only bring about more causalities on both sides. Death would create tension, and then this conflict would become much greater than that of just slaves against their masters. If any other foreigners join in, this whole country would be in chaos."

"You'll lose the support of the powerful families if you don't send them aid," Sting spat back without missing a beat. "Their lives are in immediate danger, and yet no soldiers have come to help them. They're the foundation of this nation, and without them true chaos will arise."

The King's grip on the armrests of his throne tightened, his inner conflict visibly apparent by how white his fingers turned. Sending aid to those who gave him their support would be the obvious choice for any King who wished to maintain the throne, but doing so would result in the death of those who had nothing more than brooms and pans to defend themselves with.

He clenched his jaw, desperately trying to find middle ground, "If I do send soldiers, they must use spears without tips and wooden swords. The slaves don't have any real weapons, and our objective isn't to kill them, only to stop the rebellion."

Sting's smug expression didn't even flinch, his gaze and voice firm as he spoke, "I propose that the Thirteenth Prince Jellal lead the soldiers."

Natsu's eyes widened, immediately prepping to lash out the blond prince for even daring to suggest such a thing. But Gildarts beat him to it, "Prince Jellal knows nothing about the military or combat. Why would the King send him?"

The prince's lips quirked at the corners, having long since prepared himself for this moment, "There are rumors spreading through the empire that the King doesn't care of his own people, but cares more for the citizens of former Bosco and Seven. Jellal's mother was a princess of Seven before Ishgar conquered it, and the Thirteenth Prince is Natsu's primary advisor. On top of that, Jellal had a former Bosco citizen adopted into an Ishgar family and he's planning on marrying her. People say that she's using Jellal to manipulate the King in order to gain favor for her people."

"You're making ridiculous accusations," Natsu ground out.

"It only takes moments for accusations to become reality, Your Majesty."

* * *

"No way. I won't allow it," Natsu protested. He'd more or less thrown Sting from the throne room after the blond prince had asked him to send Jellal only for the blue haired prince to enter and request the very same thing himself moments later. "You've only ever held instruments or brushes. How can you wield a sword?"

Jellal lowered his gaze to the floor, "I don't like people accusing Erza of manipulating you simply because she's from Bosco. And because of our relationship…you've been troubled, Your Majesty."

The King let out a heavy sigh, "I should just go myself."

"What Prince Sting said is true, but openly giving aid to the powerful families will bring about issues too," Gildarts remarked from his place beside the throne. "Choosing either side or choosing to not give aid at all…neither seem to be a good choice."

"If we sit around doing nothing," Jellal started, "we lose the support of our people and others lose their lives. So send me." He gave his brother a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine, Natsu. I promise."

* * *

A gentle smile spread across Erza's lips as she fondly ran her fingertips over the hairpin Jellal had gifted her. It had a silver and gold elephant charm that matched the one on her incense pouch, and several other silver and gold beads and gems that lightly clinked together.

The prince was gently brushing through her hair, smoothing out any tangles before he twisted her scarlet strands around themselves and into a bun. She passed him the hairpin over her shoulder so he could secure it in place, and when it had been pushed in all the way, she turned to face him.

They sat on the steps that lead into the royal springs, the very same steps that Gray and Juvia had sat upon as they shared their first kiss on the night before they met their end.

Jellal did his best to give her a reassuring smile when she faced him fully, but she could still see traces of uneasiness in his expression, "I leave tomorrow. I was pretending to be brave when I spoke to Natsu earlier…but I really don't know what'll happen to me."

The scarlet haired gisaeng swallowed down her own fear about his fate, and returned his soft smile, "Don't talk about your future like it's already been decided. You wanted to get married, right? So you have to come back to me."

He took one of her hands in between his own, "Then let's do it. As soon as I get back, let's get married. You…are my eternal companion."

They leaned forward without saying anything else, gently pressing their lips together and letting their feelings convey the thoughts that they couldn't bring themselves to put into words. It wasn't their first kiss, but neither could shake off the feeling that it might be their last.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	74. Chapter 74: A Deal

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu read his tenet a thousand times over, his heart thrumming with uneasiness as he skimmed every character and looked for imperfections.

Jellal would be leaving to deal with the rebellion in only a few hours, and the King had stayed up all night to have the chance to increase the chances of his brother's survival. If he could calm the slaves down by promising them what they wanted, he hoped that the number of casualties would exponentially decrease, for both his brother's sake and the sake of the people of former Bosco. He knew a peaceful outcome was far from plausible at this point. But that wouldn't stop him from trying.

The powerful families in Ishgar were bound to hate him for what he was about to do, but he saw no other choice. They'd asked for his aid, and it was his duty as a King to his people to answer their cry. But he couldn't ignore the needs of those that had been forcefully dragged into a country that hadn't been hospitable in the least.

Slaves or not, they were still his people, and he would see to it that their pleas were answered.

* * *

Nearly forty slaves marched down the street to the palace, axes, brooms, pans, and whatever else they had access to clasped tightly in their hands and posed for combat. The common villagers scurried out of their way and dove behind their stalls as the slaves approached, fearful that after years of mistreating them, the slaves would get their revenge.

"Wait!" a single cry from a man at the head of the group brought them to a stop, and all eyes turned to him as he made his way to a stone wall that ran along the edge of the street, "There's something written here, and its addressed to us."

Posted on the wall was a decree from the King, and the slaves all waited with bated breath to hear what was written as the man began to read, "' _I, the King of Ishgar, make this promise to the people of Bosco. Slaves will not be attacked. In order to take care of this matter, I'll do what I believe is right. All those who were forced into slavery during the war between Ishgar and Bosco will be freed. Foreigners who were forced into slavery will have their status reinstated. Slaves who were taken by force will be returned to their home region. They'll be exempted from taxes for a time to be determined. Receiving different treatment based on your place of origin will be abolished. If any former slave wishes to, they may become a citizen of Ishgar and seek appointment in government.'"_

"Lies!" A man cried out after the decree had been read. "They always tell us those things, but do nothing to make it happen!"

"They treated us like dogs and pigs!"

"We won't let them do this to us any longer!"

The attempt at getting them to give up their rebellion only strengthened their drive, and they continued towards the palace with newfound motivation to rid themselves of the man who was responsible for their mistreatment.

* * *

Jellal swallowed heavily as he stepped through the palace gates, and consequentially the walls that promised him safety. Beyond them lie uncertainty, and he couldn't shake the foreboding sensation that pressed down on him from every angle.

He couldn't stop the shaking of his hand as a soldier handed him his sheathed sword. It would be the first time that he ever wielded one with the intention of attacking someone with it. He'd only ever held one at rituals, and even then it had always stayed sheathed.

Natsu had insisted that every soldier be given a wooden sword to lessen the chances of slaves getting critically injured. But for his brother, he'd provided a genuine blade, and the weight of it felt heavy in the prince's hands. Natsu had told him that if it came down it, he should forget about refraining from injuring the slaves and kill them to protect himself, and the weight of that order was greater than any other he'd received before.

He'd never killed. He'd never even _thought_ of doing such a cruel thing.

But if he had to, he would do it. He promised Erza that he would return, and he was going to follow through on that promise no matter what it took.

He flipped his sword in his hand, the quivering of his arm preventing him from catching it and sending it clattering to the ground. He reached down to retrieve it, but another hand got there before his own.

The blue haired prince's eyes widened when he looked up to see Loke standing before him, "What are you doing here? You've been exiled to your hometown. If Natsu finds out, you'll lose your head."

"Let Natsu do whatever he wants to me. I'm not afraid," the orange haired prince replied, his voice unwavering and expression firm.

Jellal glanced over at the soldiers that were waiting to accompany him, wary that they might try to attack his brother for disobeying the King's orders. But none of them moved from their places, a few small smiles even breaking out here and there as they took in the sight of their former general.

Loke knocked his hand against the chest plate of his brother's armor as he scolded, "I told you that staying on Natsu's side was dangerous. He's sending you to die."

"I asked to be sent, Loke. There was nothing else we could do without starting a civil war."

"He could've sent me," the orange haired prince solemnly remarked. "You've never wielded a blade or commanded even ten soldiers. I've commanded over three hundred thousand and won countless wars." He huffed out a breath, knocking his hand against his brother's chest plate once again, "You can't die, you hear me? You can come back injured, but you better breathing the next time I see you. I can't bear seeing another one of my brother's corpses."

Jellal gave him a small nod, quickly shifting the topic because of his lack of desire to continue talking about such dreadful topic, "You got what Lucy asked me to send you, right? The hairpin?"

"Yeah, but I had no idea what it meant because there was no letter."

"She asked me to tell this: 'I want it.'"

Loke's eyes widened, "What? Are you sure that Lucy really said that?"

"Of course," Jellal assured. "Lucy desperately wants it. I don't know what it is, but I'm trusting you to help her. I don't know what'll happen to me," he paused to clear his throat, his voice growing more choked the longer he thought about the uncertainty of his fate, "so be a good friend to Lucy. And Natsu as well. He may not show it, but he's suffering too."

The orange haired prince clenched his jaw, obviously trying to replace his own fear for his brother's survival with anger, "Should you really be worrying about others right now? No one's even here to see you off. What about that gisaeng? Where's she?"

"I told Erza that it would be better if she didn't come. I gave her my farewell last night."

Loke huffed out a breath once again, his lips pressing into a thin line, "Take care of yourself, Jellal." He bowed to his brother, and walked away without another word, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

Jellal watched him go, a remorseful smile on his face and regret that he hadn't said more beginning to fill his senses. For all he knew, that might be the last time he saw his brother, and his fear had choked him up to the point of being unable to say a proper goodbye.

His attention was drawn to the soldiers as they began to mutter amongst themselves, their gazes all focused upwards. He followed their line of sight, his gaze traveling over a banner that'd been strung over the wall on the perimeter of the palace.

' _Reunification of the Three Kingdoms: Ishgar, Bosco, and Seven.'_

His heart dropped when he saw who stood atop the wall just above the banner, her white hanbok dancing in the breeze. She was far too close to the edge, and he could tell by the look on her face that she was going to jump.

He flew back through the gates of the palace, shouting commands at the soldiers to get out of his way and guard the palace from the slaves that he knew were approaching fast. He was supposed to have left to deal with them already, but all thoughts of the rebellion disappeared as he rushed up the steps to the top of the wall, his mind consumed by the thought of stopping the girl from ending her life.

He slid to a stop when he rounded a corner to face her, her name slipping from his lips in a desperate cry, "Erza!"

His cry was echoed by a few voices from the courtyard below, and he knew that the slaves had arrived.

"Princess!"

"Princess Erza!"

She turned to face him slowly, her gaze far colder than he'd ever seen it.

But he could tell that it was an act. Her lips were quivering, and he knew that what he'd originally perceived to be anger was sorrow, the fury in her eyes masking pain that she had held inside for years.

He fought his body to get it to move, his fear for her life rushing through his veins and paralyzing his senses. He barely managed to numbly stumble a few steps forward before she harshly commanded, "Stop."

The prince swallowed heavily, fighting to keep his voice even, "You're…you're not going to jump, right?"

"Turn around, Jellal."

He tried to move towards her again and her voice rose in volume, cracking with emotion as she shouted, "Turn around!"

The prince numbly obeyed her command, some part of him desperately trying to believe that if he did what she wanted, then she might not jump.

Her voice was choked, and he didn't have to look to know that there were tears streaming down the scarlet haired gisaeng's cheeks, "If you see…you might never forget."

She let herself begin to tip backwards, and horror overtook the prince's expression as he turned just in time to see her slip over the edge.

Time seemed to slow for Erza as she fell through the air, her white hanbok and scarlet hair trailing behind her.

' _I thought I could ignore it and live my life. I was going to deny my parents, but I can't turn my back on my people. I can't live like that. Ishgar and Bosco…My father and Igneel…our rulers' sins…I'll pay for them with my life. Perhaps this is the reason I was born.'_

Jellal's face appeared over the edge of the wall, desperately screaming and reaching out for her.

' _I love you, Jellal. You alone…are my eternal companion.'_

With a sickening crack, Erza's body hit the ground, blood the same color as her hair quickly spreading out around her still body and staining her once pure white hanbok.

Jellal numbly fell to his knees next to her side, having desperately stumbled down the steps from the top of the wall as soon as her body hit the ground. He pulled her upper body into his lap, her blood soon coating his armor and hands a sickening red. He gently shook her frame, hopelessly calling her name over and over as he pleaded for her to open her eyes.

But her form was completely still, her last breath having been forced from her lungs upon impact.

A few of the slaves surged forward only to be held back by the soldiers that stood guard, the rest dissolving into sobbing wrecks and falling to the ground, overwhelmed by grief and sorrow at what had become of their dear princess.

But the cries of the blue haired prince were far louder than the rest, all of the pain in his heart conveyed through his broken screaming as he desperately clutched at the pale body of his eternal companion.

* * *

Lucy sunk to her knees, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks at the message that had just slipped from the court lady' mouth. She clutched at her chest, desperately pressing her fist against it in a weak attempt at easing the grief in her heart.

Erza was dead. Another one of her dear friends was gone in an instant.

* * *

Jellal was completely silent, not even the sound of a breath or a sob escaping him. But the tears still the streamed from his eyes, making his cheeks feel cold in the dark night.

He was seated against the railing of one of the palace's porches, pain in his eyes as he solemnly looked over his sketches of Erza. She probably would've killed him if she knew that they existed, but he'd done well at keeping them a secret.

Some of them were of her performing with her swords, and others were simply of her smiling. Those were his favorite moments, where she was peaceful and unbothered by the many cruelties that often befell those in Ishgar.

There were dozens of them, all scattered out on the floor in front of him. Looking at them was torture, and he wasn't sure why he'd pulled them out in the first place. But he couldn't bring himself to put them away, fearful that if he did, he would never be able to find the courage to bring them out again.

His gaze was drawn upwards when the quiet sound of soft footfalls reached his ears, and without a word, Lucy took a seat beside him. Her eyes were puffy and rimmed with red, a feature that he'd seen on her face far too often as of late.

They sat in silence for a moment, both looking over the sketches of the scarlet haired gisaeng, before Lucy quietly muttered, "You shouldn't torture yourself like this, Your Highness."

"Why didn't she tell me that she was a princess of Bosco?" the blue haired choked out. He slowly sucked in a rugged breath, "I'm responsible for what happened to her. If you think about it, I was too greedy."

Lucy refrained from assuring him that such wasn't the case. She knew what it felt like to have all your thoughts and feelings bottled up inside, and she was more than familiar with the damage that could be done if you didn't get the chance to let them out. The imminent failure of her heart in only a few years was a testament of her experience with such a circumstance. She knew that it would be best to let him talk for the time being, and when he was all done, she would give him her reassurances.

"A citizen of a fallen enemy nation. An orphan. I knew her painful background…and I felt proud of myself for being able to love someone like her. I was being narcissistic. I couldn't look past all of that to see how Erza really felt." He shook his head, the utmost regret and guilt laced in his features, "Why she was so sad and unhappy…Why her smiles were so brief…I never asked her any of that. It was a shallow love."

"It's not your fault, Jellal," the blonde started softly. "You gave your whole heart to her. And in the end…she wasn't selfish enough to accept it and do what she truly wanted. She put her own desires aside and gave her life so that her people might give up their rebellion and accept Natsu as their king."

The prince shakily inhaled, "Natsu…do you think he knew?"

"About what?"

"About Erza. About her being a princess…and about her intentions…"

Lucy swallowed heavily. She wanted to defend Natsu more than anything. It'd become almost instinct for her. But with how he'd been acting as of late, she genuinely couldn't say that he didn't know about the scarlet haired gisaeng's origins. "I…I don't know…"

* * *

Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he looked over his younger brother, "You look very haggard. I'll send a doctor to look after you."

Jellal clenched his jaw, his gaze firmly planted on the floor, "The banner that Erza hung from the wall of the palace…'Reunification of the Three Kingdoms: Ishgar, Bosco, and Seven'…it was one of your tenets. You made a deal with her, didn't you?"

The King's eyes were downcast, "I didn't know that she was going to end her own life. She only told me that I could save you if I wrote those tenets. That was when I found out that she was a princess of Bosco." His gaze returned to his brother, "I did it because I wanted to save you. It was like grabbing onto a rotting rope, but I still wrote them because it was all I could do. I didn't know what would happen…but I care for you too much to let an opportunity to save your life go to waste."

"I know that," Jellal choked out, tears beginning to stream from his eyes once more, "but it's so hard for me to accept." His voice was weak as he breathed out, "It is torture to remain by your side, Natsu."

The King's eyes widened when his brother lowered himself to his knees and bent his torso forward in a bow, already knowing what the prince was planning. "Don't do this, Jellal," he pressed.

The blue hair prince rose back to his feet, shakily exhaling, "I was wrong. I'm sorry that I wasn't enough to protect you, Your Majesty." He bowed forward one last time, "Please live long, and be healthy, brother."

As he turned and started towards the doors, Natsu shot to his feet, "Jellal, wait!"

But the blue haired prince continued forward, not even glancing back as his brother continued to shout his name.

The doors of the throne room slammed shut after him, and Natsu fell back into his throne, alone once again.

* * *

Natsu clutched at his temples as he drunkenly stumbled into his bedroom, his plans of collapsing into his bed and falling into a restless sleep put on hold once he caught sight of who was waiting for him.

Minerva was a seated on his bed, a coy grin pasted across her lips.

The King barred his teeth, a nasty snarl escaping him, his drunken state allowing his animalistic tendencies to finally slip through after being contained since he'd first taken his seat on the throne, "Get out. Now."

She slowly stood and strode towards him with all of the grace befitting someone of her status, her eyes stirring with cruelty, "You told me to be satisfied with being Queen so that I would leave Lucy alone. If I'm to abide by that, then you should make a deal properly."

"What more could you possibly want? I told you to stop being greedy, Minerva," Natsu spat.

"We're after the same thing, Natsu. You want to protect the throne, and I…need an heir." She placed her hand on his chest, and slowly began running her fingertips down his torso, "I'll make our son into a King. We're husband and wife, aren't we?" She wrapped her arms around his waist, her head falling to rest on his chest.

Natsu didn't know if it was his drunkenness, but instead of his skin crawling at her touch like he'd expected, he felt nothing. Nothing except for hatred. And not for Minerva, but for her brother. Zeref...Gray and Juvia...and now Jellal and Erza...they were all gone because of Sting. It'd been his suggestion to send Jellal to deal with the rebellion, and because of that, Erza had given her own life to save the blue haired prince.

A sickening thought was festering in the King's mind, and corners of his lips twitched upwards as he asked, "You wanted a deal, right? So let's make one, Minerva. What if I tell you to turn your back on Sting and your family? Would you do it?"

She slowly pulled back from him, her brows furrowed a fraction as she searched his face for answers. This wasn't what she had expected from him at all. She'd come here fully prepared to be thrown out only to have to try again later.

But the way that he was speaking…it made it sound like he was going to agree.

"If you do it, then I'll make our son Crown Prince. You'll be Queen, and the mother of a King..." a crazed smirk spread across his features, "...and Sting will have lost everything."

* * *

 **AN**

 **I did say I was gonna torture you guys for a bit more before I gave you a happy ending...**

 **Also, I hope it makes sense why Erza did what she did. It was kind of her trying to get her people to accept the way things are now, and then she kind of believes that by killing herself she's paying for the sins of both her father, who was the former king of Bosco, and the sins of Igneel so that her people can move on and not be hung up on stuff that happened in the past.**

 **And another thing: What Jellal did is similar to what Makarov did, so basically he's withdrawn himself from the palace and he won't be Natsu's primary adviser anymore. But unlike Makarov, Jellal's home is in Magnolia, so we'll definitely still see him a few more times before this story ends and he'll stop by the palace every now and then to visit Lucy and Natsu too because he still cares for them. He just won't really be playing a role in the conflict anymore.**

 **As always, thank you for reading!**


	75. Chapter 75: A Curse on the King

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

* * *

Natsu forced a smile onto his face as Sting entered the throne room and began down the pathway between the royal advisors to the throne, a servant carrying a cloth-covered cage following quietly in the blonde prince's stead. The King would play nice and wait patiently for now, if only to have the chance to strengthen the weight of the blow that would come when Sting realized what his sister had done to him.

The blonde prince bowed to him when he came to a stop just before the throne, a fake grin plastered across his face as well and his voice dripping with false enthusiasm, "You mentioned going hunting, so I'm gifting you with a hunting hawk."

"They say that brotherly affection and fraternity is the foundation of a man," Gajeel started from his place amongst the advisors, a smirk spreading across his lips. "Harmony in the royal family will mean harmony in the country, don't you think?"

Natsu resisted the urge to cringe at their fake sincerity. He didn't know what they were trying to accomplish by doing this, but he was more than prepared to put their scheming to an end. He'd made a deal with Minerva, and soon enough he would have his revenge.

The servant placed the cage on the floor before the throne, and the room was filled with gasps and mutterings as he withdrew the cloth, revealing the still, dead form of the hawk at the bottom of the cage.

Of all the shocked expressions in the room, Sting's was the most severe. His eyes were wide, his face was going pale as he stared at the still form of the hawk.

"A dead hawk given to the King?" one of the advisors cried out. "You have cursed His Majesty!"

Sting nervously shook his head, his voice stuttering in his panic, "Y-Your Majesty…It's…This is all a misunderstanding. Something…something must have gone wrong during the transport-"

"You brought it yourself, so who are you blaming?"

Natsu's was a bit taken aback by Gajeel's question, having assumed that the Ninth Prince had played a part in whatever scheme Sting had come up with. Given the look of surprise and betrayal on the blonde prince's though, he concluded that his assumption hadn't been wrong.

He narrowed his eyes at his blonde brother, "So, you're placing a curse on me? Then…should this be considered treason?"

Sting eagerly took a step forward, desperate to come up with some excuse. But an advisor's shout cut him off before a single word could slip from his mouth, "Anyone can see that it is!"

The King fought off the urge to grin at the panic that overtook Sting's expression as other advisors began chorusing their agreement, the blond prince falling to his knees and bending forward in a bow as he pleaded, "Your Majesty, I've been wronged! I'm clearly being framed!"

A wicked smirk spread across the King's lips. Finally, he would have his revenge.

"If it's treason…then you shall pay with your life."

* * *

Lucy gathered the skirt of her hanbok in her hands as she chased after Natsu, having to run because her knee was losing mobility and his height made his strides much longer than her own. She followed him through the doors of his bedroom, finally managing to throw herself in front of him and bring his steps to a halt, "You have to forgive Sting! I'm certain that he was framed! Please, let him live."

The King paid no mind to her pleads, only briefly glancing at her before brushing past and continuing towards his bed.

Lucy grit her teeth as she threw herself to her knees before him, swallowing down the agonized scream that threatened to slip from her mouth as her mal-formed knee knocked against the floor. She knew that making him worry about her would finally be enough to gain his attention, and if she had to suffer to do it, then she would bear the pain.

And it worked, the King diving to his knees in front of her and taking hold of her shoulders in an attempt to pull her to her feet, "Don't you know that you're not supposed to kneel? If you treat your knee like this, you'll be unable to walk someday. Get up now."

She shook her head, determination in her eyes as she looked him straight on, "You promised me that you wouldn't hurt your brothers."

"Don't do this, Lucy," Natsu urged, his voice on the verge of anger. "I know that you care for all of the princes, but I hate how you're coming to me and kneeling for his sake. So get up now."

"The person who killed the hawk…," the blonde continued, her jaw clenching, "…it was you, wasn't it? You killed the hawk on purpose and now you've put Sting's life in danger."

Natsu's hands fell from her shoulders, his voice growing louder and more furious with each word that he spoke, "What? Is that wrong? Sting's responsible for Zeref's and Gray's deaths. He chased Jellal away, too. He tried to kill me and he did everything he could to tear us apart. That's the kind of person he is. He deserves to die."

"If you kill him like this…" the blonde choked out, angry and frustrated tears starting to gather in her eyes, "…how is it any different from how Laxus killed Gray? And how Igneel killed Aquarius? Gray and Aquarius both died for something they didn't do. You set Sting up and now he's going to face the same fate as them. If you continue to be severe in your punishment like this, everyone will eventually see you as the enemy…even me. In the future…I don't want you to be remembered as a bloody monarch."

"Fine," Natsu ground out. "I'll let him live."

Lucy shakily huffed out a relieved breath, her gaze falling from Natsu's and into her lap.

"However," the King harshly continued. "He won't go unpunished. He'll be confined to his estate for the rest of his life. He once had greed for all of Ishgar, and now that home will become his entire world."

Lucy watched him with terror in her eyes. Never had looked and sounded so cruel, not even during the days in which people called him a demon.

Her heart sunk even further when a smirk spread across his lips, a small chuckle escaping him as he ground out, "Now that I think about it…I suppose this suits him better than killing him immediately. He'll suffocate in his own home, and his heart will rot."

* * *

Lucy let out a small sigh as she entered the throne room, her hands clasped in front of her as she quietly made her way to stand beside by Sting. He'd been kneeling before the throne all day, ever since he had been condemned to death that morning. No one had thought to tell him that Natsu had changed his order regarding the blond prince's punishment, so Lucy decided that she would take the task upon herself, "You should get up now. Natsu's decided to let you live."

His eyes slowly slid to her, "It was because of you, wasn't it? Why did you go to him on my behalf? It's not like…you have any feelings left for me. Natsu might start suspect you."

"You know that I would've done this no matter who it was that had been sentenced to death. And Natsu knows that, too." She crouched down next to him, "Please stand up, Your Highness. And get over your desire for the throne. The only way to true happiness and peace is to leave this palace. If you don't leave now, then you'll never be able to escape the misery."

She stood quietly and left the room, not interested in seeing whether or not Sting took her advice and left. She'd saved his life, and she was more than satisfied to leave her good deeds for him at that.

* * *

Lucy lowered herself onto the steps that lead into the royal springs and clenched her jaw, letting out all of her frustration as she numbly tore petals from a small bouquet of sunflowers and through them into the steaming water.

There was a scoff from behind her, and Lucy didn't have to look to know that it was Minerva.

The Queen's voice was condescending and pompous as usual, "You have time to play with flowers? Just like I always thought, nothing will ever come of you. You truly are pitiful."

Lucy huffed out a breath and pushed herself to her feet, quietly and respectfully bowing to the former princess.

Minerva raised her brow, genuinely surprised that the normally fiery blonde was bowing to her instead of spitting back insults.

The blonde straightened herself out and upon seeing the Queen's expression and she softly began to explain, "I heard about Sting. You must be upset because of it, and I'm not cruel enough to bother with making it worse. Besides, you're Queen now. One rude word from my mouth and I'd be dead."

"Ever since we were young," the dark haired woman started, traces of wistfulness lining her voice, "he never told me no. He helped me get everything I wanted, and I often worried if I was destroying him because of it. I was the one that pushed him to try and gain the throne. I wanted us to own this palace together as brother and sister. I see now that I pushed him too hard…"

Lucy was a bit taken aback by the genuine sorrow in the Queen's voice, having never expected to hear such a tone from the woman that'd always been so cruel to her.

"However," and just like that Minerva's voice back to normal, characteristically dripping with pride and satisfaction, "it wasn't me that change him into the man that he is today. It was _you_."

"Excuse me?"

"Sting told me all about it. That you told him to be careful of Natsu after the rain ritual all those years ago. You told him that he could die if he got in Natsu's way."

Lucy's eyes widened, her voice small as she muttered, "Wait…you're saying that all of this…Zeref, Gray, Juvia, and Levy...he did it all because I told him to be careful of Natsu?"

"After you told him that, he believed that Natsu would become King. Natsu was truly a monster back then, and Sting wanted to do everything he could to stop him from gaining the throne." The Queen turned her gaze from the spring to the blonde, her voice laced with fury, "He loved you. He hated it more than anything that you were acknowledging another man as King. I was the one that applied the pressure, but it was _you_ who hammered in the nail."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat, her heart beating faster and faster with each moment as realization dawned on her, Laxus' last words to her echoing in her head.

" _It's all_ _your_ _fault. I made the decision to kill my brothers and become king. You…you were the one that helped Natsu cover up his scar and take my seat during the rain ritual…This is all your fault! Everything went to hell because you got involved, you wench!"_

Gildarts had told her to not get involved. He'd told her to let fate run its course. But she'd been foolish enough to think that she could change things, that she could change Natsu's fate so that he wouldn't be remembered as the King that killed all of his brothers. She'd done all she could to prevent him from being remembered as a bloody monarch, but now she was realizing that she might have been the one to help him earn such a title in the first place.

If she hadn't helped him cover his scar, Laxus would've taken his seat on the day of the rain ritual, and then Igneel might've made the blond Crown Prince instead of Zeref. That would have stopped Grandeeny from poisoning Zeref's tea, and then Aquarius wouldn't have been executed for a crime that she didn't commit. And Laxus wouldn't have had to kill Zeref to gain the throne, nor would he have felt the need to kill Gray and Juvia to secure his spot upon it.

And if she hadn't have told Sting to be careful of Natsu, then maybe the prince wouldn't have changed. He might still be the bright and caring prince he had been when she first met him, always brimming with intelligence and the desire to help those in need.

But because of the Lucy's words, all of that had changed. He was the one that used Levy to poison Zeref's bathwater, and the blue haired court lady was beaten death because of it. He was also the one that suggested Jellal be sent to deal with the rebellion, and Erza chose to give her own life so that the blue haired prince might live.

Because all of that had happened, Loke had shown signs of disloyalty to Natsu, and he had been exiled. Jellal and Makarov had disappeared from the palace as well, though because of choice rather than command.

And Natsu had grown desperate to protect all that he had left.

The bouquet of sunflowers slipped from Lucy's hand as the tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"You ruined everything," Minerva ground out. "And yet shamelessly, you still live."

All of it...Aquarius, Zeref, Gray, Juvia, Laxus, Levy, and Erza…they were all dead because of her, and the remaining five brothers felt nothing but hate for one another because of all that had happened between them.

And Natsu…she was to blame for the person he had become.

* * *

"No, you can't enter!"

Natsu's eyes widened as he caught sight of the man that had just forced his through the doors of the throne, several servants scurrying after him and desperately trying to drag him back out.

But the orange haired prince easily brushed them off, his jaw clenched as he came to a stop before the King.

Natsu stood from his throne, "You dare to defy your exile so boldly? You must be intent on dying."

"I've come asking for your consent," Loke ground out without a moment of hesitation, not an ounce of fear on his features even after hearing Natsu's threats. "I thought you wouldn't allow me here if I told you in advance, so I came on my own." He pulled his hands from behind his back and held a scroll out to the King, "Laxus left me this decree before he died."

Natsu yanked it from his grasp, glaring at his brother the entire time whilst he unfurled it. His eyes widened though when he read what was written upon the scroll.

It was a consent to marriage…between Loke and Lucy.

The King quickly recovered from his initial shock, his jaw clenching as he threw the decree to the floor, "It's a fake."

Loke scoffed as he watched the scroll away, "You were enthroned without Laxus leaving a final decree concerning the succession of the throne. This one of the last decrees he left, so it should be considered precious, right? Can you really treat it such a way? Compare it to his other writings, and then you'll be sure that it's real."

"Even if it is real," Natsu spat back, "I'll never consent to it. You can't marry Lucy, and that's final."

"As long as the late king has already given his consent, there's no reason that I can't."

"There isn't a soul in this palace that doesn't know about Lucy and me. Yet, you still want to marry her?" The King clenched his jaw, "Enough with the nonsense, Loke."

The orange haired prince took an angry step forward, "She's not a queen, nor is she a royal concubine. She's not your wife, so there's no reason she can't marry me. I've already informed your royal advisors of this fact, and they know that I'm waiting for your consent."

Natsu's knuckles turned white from how tightly he was clenching his fist, his furious glare never leaving his brother as he addressed the astronomer that had been quietly observing the whole thing from his place next to the throne, "Gildarts, punish Loke for disobeying his ex-"

"Lucy wants it," the prince cut him off.

"What?" the King ground out, his fury growing at the fact that Loke would even dare state such a ridiculous thing.

"You can with her yourself, but I can assure you that such is the case. Lucy wants to marry me."

* * *

Lucy shot to her feet when Natsu suddenly barged through the doors to her room, the soaps that she had been making abandoned on her desk.

He took a few deep breaths when he came to a stop just in front of her, seemingly to calm himself down, "Loke…says that he'll marry you."

The blonde's eyes widened. Was this his way of getting her out of the palace? If so, he was insane to dare and suggest such a thing to Natsu.

"He had a doctrine from Laxus that gave him consent to marry you," the King continued, stuttering over his words in his rush to get them from his mouth. "Did you know about it?"

"When did he receive that decree?" the blonde quietly asked.

"Year of the Monkey, September. It was when Loke won a battle against Stella and returned to the palace."

That confirmed the blonde's suspicions. He'd first told her that he had a way out of the palace then, and now she was sure that he had been talking about the decree.

Natsu let out a light sigh, "Loke says that you want marriage too. But I know that you don't. I can dismiss that doctrine as a fake and then-"

"I want it," Lucy cut him off, fighting to keep her voice even as she watched Natsu's heart break even more with each word that she spoke. But she desperately needed out of this palace, and if marriage to Loke was her only way to do it, then she would go through with it, "It's a big crime to go against the will of the late king. If we don't adhere to it, someone will definitely bring up your accession to the throne." She dropped her gaze to the floor, knowing that if she looked at Natsu for a moment more she wouldn't be able to keep her composure, "When we were apart after Laxus had been enthroned, we always longed for one another. My heart got torn up just thinking about you. Now, I see you daily and do my best to smile despite all of our sufferings. But truly…I'm afraid. Sometimes, I even despise you."

"You…despise me?" he quietly asked.

"If we continue on like this," the blonde softly continued, "it's obvious that someday, only hate and disgust will be left between us. I don't want that to happen." She finally lifted her gaze back to his, "I would rather leave now than risk that happening."

Natsu stared at her in silence for a moment before his expression turned stone cold, "No. I'll never allow it."

He turned on his heel and left the room without even saying goodbye, leaving her all alone once more and terrified over the possibility that she had just ruined whatever love they had left in their relationship.

* * *

Natsu buried his face in his hands as he lowered himself onto the edge of his bed. Once again, he had no idea what to do next. He wasn't so hung up on that fact that the girl he loved had just expressed her desire to marry his brother, but rather that she had blatantly admitted to despising him at times.

Everything he'd done, he'd done to keep her by his side. Losing Gray, Makarov, and Jellal had left him desperate to keep the only person he had left. But he'd been too stupid to step back and see how she really felt. He'd thought that she would be grateful for his dedication, but truly, she must have been horrified by the things he'd done.

The doors to his room were roughly pushed open, and the sharp voice that sounded out only moments later let him know that the intruder was Minerva, "People are already questioning your accession to the throne, and now you're ignoring this? You made me turn on my brother and family, and I did it. Are you really incapable of throwing a worthless former court lady aside?"

Natsu lifted his dead but didn't turn to look at his wife, his voice void of any emotion as he admitted, "That's right. I'm incapable of letting Lucy go."

The Queen scoffed, "How long will you be saying that? I'll have to wait and see. You may be willing to throw the throne aside, but I could never do something like that."

She waited a moment for a response, but when it became clear that she wasn't going to get one, she scoffed, turning and strutting from the room without another word.

* * *

Natsu sighed heavily as he lowered himself onto his throne. Sting was waiting in the throne room for him, standing quietly in the middle of the space with his hands clasped in front of him.

The King huffed out a breath, "Minerva said that you have something you must tell me? She begged me relentlessly to let you come here, and that's the one reason why I've made this exception. But your exile will be reinstated once we're done here."

"I…" the blonde prince quietly started, finally lifting his gaze from the floor and to his brother, "…have something to confess about my relationship with Lucy."

"Lucy?" the King numbly repeated. He was growing tired of people coming here to talk about the blonde, and he had no doubt that Sting was about to try and pull something on him.

"There seems to be something that you're still unaware of, Your Majesty. I thought I should let you know if you insist on keeping her around." The blonde prince's expression was cold, his gaze set firmly on the King as he stated, "The two of us…had once promised to marry."

"You wanted permission to come here so you could tell me this nonsense?" Natsu ground out, his eyes filling with fire, "Do you really want to die?"

"It was long before she became your woman," Sting bravely continued on, ignoring the King's threats. "Lucy…was my person first."

* * *

Lucy stopped dead in her stroll around the royal springs when she caught sight of Natsu approaching. She was used to him coming to her in anger over something or other, but the furious tears in his eyes were enough to bring her to a halt, her eyes wide as he came to a quick stop just before her.

His voice was small, but still laced with underlying fury, "I found out why you worried so much about Sting. Why you got on your knees to save him…I know now. The bracelet that you wore every day when we were young. The secret meetings in the cave just outside the palace. Is it true? Were you really planning on marrying him?"

Lucy shakily inhaled. She didn't know why she was so hesitant to admit that it was all true, that at one point in her life, she had in fact seriously considered accepting Sting's proposal. It was all in the past now anyways, so why should she be afraid to admit that she had once loved the blond prince?

But however illogical she thought her uneasiness was, her heart had started beating faster with every word that had slipped from Natsu's mouth, nervous tingles ricocheting throughout her entire body as she tentatively admitted, "Y-yes, it's…it's all true."

He slowly sucked in a breath, a few lone teas silently sliding down his cheeks as he dropped his gaze to the floor momentarily before looking back to the blonde and desperately shaking his head, "Just lie to me instead. Tell me that this is a misunderstanding and that Sting is lying to me! Then...then we can go back to how things were before…"

Lucy slowly shook her head, "We…we promised that we wouldn't lie to one another."

His face scrunched in sorrow and pain, "How could you? How could you hurt me like this? First you tell me that you want to marry Loke, and now I know that you loved Sting. Why is it him? Why is it Sting of all people?!"

She took a small step forward, desperate to give him her reassurances that even if she had loved Sting at one point, she certainly felt nothing for him now.

But he stumbled backwards to avoid her outreaching hand, a bitter grin forming on his face and a hysteric chuckle escaping him, "You've always had Sting in your heart. Everything…everything you did makes sense now."

"Natsu," Lucy futilely shook her head, hopelessly diving forward to grasp his hand and get him to realize how unreasonable he was being.

Her fingers barely brushed against his skin before he was knocking her hand aside, his gaze cold despite the tears that still streamed down his cheeks as he shakily ground out, "From now on…I don't ever want to see your face again."

Lucy's body gave out on her when he turned to leave, only barely managing to catch herself with weary, shaky arms as her heart began to beat quicker and quicker. This time, the attack hurt far worse than it ever had before, shortening the blonde's breath and sending her tears dripping to the floor as she sucked in raspy breaths.

Aquarius had warned her about this, too. She'd told the blonde that given their circumstances, they were both bound to get hurt, and their relationship would only bring about trial after trial.

Love was addictive, and when it was torn away, it stung like hell.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	76. Chapter 76: Another World

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Scarlet Heart Ryeo**

 **Just a heads up: There will be a lot references/flashbacks to previous chapters, so time jumps around quite a bit in this chapter. I apologize for that and hope it's not too confusing!**

 **Thank you for joining me on this crazy ride and enjoy the final chapter of Scarlet Heart!**

* * *

Lucy let out a small sigh as she fondly gazed around the entryway of the palace. She'd desperately wanted to get out of the place, but now that the time had come, she found herself a bit saddened that she would never see its grand structure ever again. It'd been her home for more than five years, and although it'd been the place where great misfortune had befallen her, it was also a place that held very fond memories.

The blonde turned to the group of four court ladies that stood behind her, graciously taking a small parcel from one their grasps and giving them each a small smile. All of the court ladies in the palace had been her constant companions, from when she had been a court lady herself up until now, and the fact that she would never see any of them again was another cause for her sorrow.

She'd come so far since she'd first entered the palace, and so much had changed, though not all for the better.

But she wasn't going to be bitter about all that happened. She only had ten years left to live, and she wasn't going to let them waste away while she got hung up on what might've been if she'd done things differently. She was wise enough now to know that the best thing to do was to accept the past and find joy in the present.

She'd once been foolish enough to think that she could challenge fate, but she knew now that such a thing wasn't possible, and when one got involved with things that were far beyond their control, misfortune was the only outcome.

She wasn't going to let her life end like that. She was content with marrying Loke if it meant that she got to live out the rest of her days in peace, even if she had to turn her back on Natsu to do so. He'd turned his back on her last night, and she knew that there was little chance of salvaging anything from their lost love.

She realized that he'd probably just got caught up in the heat of the moment when he told her that he didn't want to see her ever again, that his anger was too overpowering for him to see reason. But regardless of his clouded judgement, he'd brought whatever relationship they'd had to an end over something that'd taken place years ago. And if that's the way he wanted to leave things, then she would respect his decision, even if the gaping hole in her heart stung like hell.

* * *

Gildarts watched on with worry in his eyes as Natsu numbly dragged his brush across the parchment before him, the King's gaze absolutely lifeless and completely lacking its usual fire.

"Your Majesty…" the astronomer started softly, "…wasn't it torturous enough to have to give her up once? I know they say you must sacrifice in order to protect this throne, but if you send her away like this, I fear that you'll lose yourself as well."

"I didn't give up on her," Natsu choked out, "she…is the one that gave up on me."

* * *

Jellal walked Lucy through the gates of the palace to where the palanquin was waiting to take her to Loke's estate, having come to the palace for the soul purpose of seeing her off. A soft smile spread across his face as he saw the servant that he'd commanded to wait for him just beyond the gates. He took two small cups from her tray before turning back to the blonde, "We first bonded over soju, so I figured that we should have a drink when we part." As Lucy took one of the cups from him, he huffed out a light breath, "Had I known that Loke had that decree, I don't know if I would have helped you two so easily."

"I didn't know that he had it either," the blonde remarked softly. "He told me that he had a way out of the palace. That's all I knew."

"You don't seem too happy about this marriage either," Jellal pointed out. "You should turn back now, before it's too late."

Lucy gave him a bitter grin, "I don't like the marriage, but it's my only way out of the palace. So I'll follow it through."

The prince accepted her statement with a small nod, adopting a bitter grin of his own, "At the very least, I had hoped that you and Natsu would have always stayed together. I've watched too many people get torn apart from their loved ones, but it always seemed like you two could endure it all together. I know that you won't be able to get over him no matter how much you say that you can...So why are you leaving him?"

"There's too much blood in our relationship. I thought I could stop it…" She regretfully shook her head, "But I was wrong. I don't have the confidence to stand by his side and watch anymore."

Jellal's attempts to get her to stay died out with that statement. How could he be mad at her for leaving when he'd left for the very same reason?

So instead he gave her a small smile, "I was very lucky to become friends with you, Lucy. It was a precious relationship that Lady Yukino gave us, and I'll treasure it until the day I die."

"Me too," the blonde smiled back. Her voice softened, "Please don't let yourself become sick with grieving. Don't get so hung up on the past that you forget about the present."

He gave her a small nod, taking the emptied cup from her hand and placing it back on the tray beside his own. His focus was drawn towards the palanquin when someone new entered the area, and anger flooded his veins when he saw Sting tentatively approaching them, his hands quietly clasped behind his back.

Jellal stepped protectively in front of the blonde girl next to him, fixing his brother with a furious glare, "Go. Now. If you stay any longer, I don't know what I'll do."

Lucy gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see a reassuring smile spread across her lips, "It's okay, Jellal. Let me talk to him."

The blue haired prince glanced between her and Sting one last time, giving her a quick hug as a final farewell and shooting his brother a glare in warning before disappearing back through the gates of the palace.

Her gaze turned to the blond prince as he slowly made his way up the steps towards her, giving him a small, grateful smile and a quick bow as he came to a stop just in front of her, "You disobeyed your exile to come here, right? For once, I'm grateful that you went against the King's commands. Now I have the chance to say thank you."

She knew he was the one who had confessed about their history together, and although it'd broken both her and the King's heart, it'd been just the push Natsu needed to finally let her leave the palace.

"I didn't do it with purely good intentions. Minerva's the one that asked me to do it. She wanted to tear you two apart no matter what," the blonde prince quietly remarked. "You shouldn't be grateful for what I did."

"I know that you wouldn't have told Natsu about our past if you didn't know that I wanted to leave. You put yourself at risk so that he would finally let me go. That's more than enough for me to be grateful for."

"You saved my life, Lucy. I was only returning the favor," Sting responded. He paused to swallow heavily, his lips pressing into a thin line, "Loke…he'll be good to you. Please take care of yourself. Since you're intent on leaving, cut things off cleanly. Forget everything that has passed, and think only of the future."

Lucy was taken aback when he suddenly turned his gaze to the side, looking like he was trying to stop himself from crying. It seemed just like it had with her, the weight of his actions had suddenly crashed down upon him all at once too.

"Lucy…I think you should know my heart," he hesitantly reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, and the girl didn't stop him as he tentatively pulled her into his chest. "In this lifetime…our intertwined fate ends here." He pulled back, and his soft smile, which she hadn't seen for years, finally returned. Lucy couldn't help but smile back, her heart feeling a bit more at ease knowing that the blond prince might finally find peace.

He gave her one last bow before he disappeared back into the marketplace, this time with a lightness to his step that he hadn't had before.

Once he was gone from her sight, Lucy turned around to get one final look at the palace, and her thoughts immediately turned to who she was leaving behind.

There was still some part of her that was desperately hoping for Natsu to come flying through the gates to call off her marriage and drag her back into the palace. But she was all alone on the front steps, her only company being the men that were waiting to take her away to Loke.

She shakily let out a heavy sigh, blinking to clear away the tears that threatened to gather as she climbed inside the palanquin, her mind still consumed by the thought of her lost love.

' _If only I hadn't meant him, then I wouldn't yearn for him. If I didn't know him, I wouldn't think of him constantly. If we hadn't been together, I wouldn't have to disappear. If I didn't treasure him so much, I wouldn't have so many memories. If I didn't love him…we wouldn't need to throw each other away like this.'_

* * *

Lucy swallowed heavily as the side of the palanquin was lifted, Loke slowly coming into her view. His hair was now knotted in a small bun at the crown of his head to signify their marriage, and he stood in front of the house that would be her home for the rest of her life.

The prince was exiled to Onibus, and becoming his wife meant that the same punishment would befall her. She couldn't sail the seas or go to distant deserts to ride camels like she'd always dreamed of doing, but she was content with finally having peace.

The orange haired prince stepped forward, a gentle smile on his face as he held his hand out to her.

Lucy's own soft smile faltered when the familiar action caused a memory to resurface in her mind.

 _Natsu let out a sigh and held his hand out to her, "Let's go."_

 _"What?"_

 _"It's my present for you. I'll take you somewhere nice," he grinned softly at her. "So let's go."_

 _A small smile spread across the blonde's own lips as she looked between his face and his hand, gently placing her palm on top of his. He slowly curled his fingers around hers, their eyes never breaking contact._

Lucy forced her thoughts to come back to the present. She'd told herself over and over to forget about the past. This was her life now, and there was no going back to the way things once were.

So she took Loke's hand and allowed him to pull her from the palanquin and to her feet, taking the first step of the rest of her life.

The prince kept a tight grasp on her hand as he led her into the house, solemnly remarking, "The King has forbidden us from having an actual ceremony. But…I still prepared something in secret. I hope it's enough."

The blonde gave him a reassuring smile, "It's more than enough, Loke. Thank you."

He returned her grin, "You don't have to worry about anything anymore, alright? All I wanted was to get you out of the palace. Even if we're married, I'll still only treat you as a friend."

Lucy let out a small laugh, "I'm not worried about such things."

The prince ran his hand over the furnished walls of the home as they made their way to the main living area, "It's far away from the noisy main house, so you should be able to live in peace. And it's quite close to my primary residence, so visit whenever you want. I'll come to see you a lot, too."

She nodded her head, a gentle smile on her face as she took in the sight of her new home. It was simple, but she was content. It wasn't the palace, and that was more than enough for her.

* * *

Lucy swallowed nervously as the doctor checked her pulse, her eyes anxiously traveling between him and the orange haired prince that leaned against the table only a few feet away. She'd passed out earlier that morning whilst taking a walk in her home's garden, and Loke had insisted that she let the doctor see her even though she assured him that she felt fine. She already knew what was wrong anyways, and she had no need to hear the same words over again.

She was relieved that he'd managed to get the same doctor that worked in the palace, grateful that more people wouldn't find out about her condition. The doctor had also proved himself to be reliable when it came to keeping secrets, as he had done so for her on numerous occasions in the past.

He knew her greatest secret of all, something she knew was far more serious than her heart palpitations. Even Natsu didn't know. She had been too afraid to tell him, or to tell anyone for that matter.

But now Loke was about to find out, she was sure. The grim look on the doctor's face giving her enough evidence to know that he was about to talk about it.

The old man briefly glanced back at the orange haired prince, only proceeding in sharing his findings upon receiving a small nod from the blonde, "Before you left the palace, I was unable to feel the pulse of the baby. But now…"

"It's okay," Lucy quietly breathed out. "It was still early-"

"B-baby?" Loke quietly interrupted, his eyes wide, "Then are you saying…you and Natsu…"

The blonde softly nodded her head in affirmation as his voice faded out, her own expression turning grim.

She was pregnant with Natsu's child. She was pregnant with _the King's_ child.

"Like I warned you about before," the doctor solemnly continued, "you have heart palpitations and the baby has only weakened you further. If you insist on keeping it-"

"I'll be fine," Lucy cut him off. "As long as the baby is safe, I don't care about anything else."

"How can you say that?" Loke haughtily pressed. He turned his gaze to the doctor, "You have to keep this a secret. Please delay going back to the palace, and stay here for the time being."

"Of course, Your Highness." The old man began packing his things, giving his advice to the blonde all the while, "You must never stay out in the cold, Lady Lucy. And get plenty of rest."

Lucy slowly nodded her head. She'd heard it all before, and she knew that no matter what she did or what Loke wanted, she wasn't going to live much longer. All that mattered to her now was whether or not her baby was safe, her own health was secondary.

* * *

Lucy couldn't help but giggle as Loke did his best to settle into the small bed that his servants had dragged into her home for him. It was only two thirds of his height, and watching him struggle to scrunch into it was more than enough to drag a few laughs from the blonde. He propped his head in his hand once he'd found a comfortable position, a smug grin on his face as his gaze landed on her.

The blonde turned on her side to face him, resting her head on her hands, "I told you not to worry about me. You don't need to stay by my side every second, so go home and sleep comfortably."

He pursed his lips, "It's the first time I've slept in the same room as my wife. Why do you keep telling me to leave?"

She blonde let out a light scoff, rolling her eyes once again.

Loke's voice suddenly lost its flirtatious lilt, adopting a more reminiscent tone as he quietly remarked, "A lot of time has passed. And a lot has changed."

"If there are good times, there will be bad times, too," Lucy softly commented. "I've lived long enough to know that."

"Do you remember when we first met?" the prince asked, a subtle grin beginning to appear on his features.

The blonde tiredly hummed in thought, "Was it in Sting's library? Ah, or was it when I saved you?"

He chuckled, "You mean that time you came running in with that giant stick?" He excitedly sat up, still laughing, "I was really shocked then. I'd never seen a girl so brave. And when you fought Gray…I still laugh every time I think about it. Your hair was a mess and Gray got that big bruise on his head."

Lucy laughed too, finally content with being able to find joy in the past rather than misery.

Loke pouted at her, "And why haven't you kept your promise of singing to me on my birthday? I've waited every year."

She huffed out a light breath, "Oh dear…I get it. I'll sing for you this year, 'kay?"

"You better," he chuckled. Though his grin soon faded as he watched the blonde drift into a pleasant sleep.

No matter how bright and passionate she seemed now, he knew that she didn't have much time left, and he had the feeling that her promise would remain unfulfilled. With the way the doctor spoke, she wasn't going to make it to his next birthday, and she would be lucky enough to survive until her baby was born.

* * *

 _Six months later…_

Loke paced outside the room that Lucy was in, the crying of the baby inside doing little to set his heart at ease. The blonde's child was born, and he should have felt relief that her agony was finally over. But he knew well the toll that childbirth could have on a woman's body.

He froze in place when the doors were pushed open, a female servant entering the hallway with the baby cradled in her grasp.

The prince gave himself only a moment to be relieved at sight of the child, his worry for Lucy still preventing him from feeling completely calm, "What about my wife? Why was the baby born so early?"

The servant smiled softly at him before gazing fondly at the baby, "There's no need to worry. Your daughter's very healthy."

Loke clenched his jaw, choosing to ignore the fact that this woman thought the child was his, "This baby was stillborn. Do you understand? You can't tell anyone about her or who her mother is. Now, take her to the wet nurse."

The woman solemnly nodded her head and left to obey her commands, and Loke pushed his way into the room in which his wife was laying. He stumbled to a stop when he caught sight of her, his heart dropping when he saw how pale she'd become.

The doctor turned to him after laying a blanket over the shivering blonde, his lips pressed into a grim line, "She's very weak. Don't let her leave her bed for the next few days."

He left after giving a final bow, and the prince rushed to kneel at his wife's bedside when she let out a small whimper, her eyes fluttering open and anxiously landing on him.

He did his best to give her a reassuring smile, answering her unspoken question, "Don't worry about the baby. She's healthy and beautiful. I got her the best nurse in all of Onibus."

"That's….a relief," she quietly breathed out, a weak smile spreading across her lips.

Loke reached under the blanket to grasp her hand between both of his own, gently pressing her fingers against his lips, "Stop worrying about the baby and start worrying about yourself, okay? You need to get your health back as soon as you can."

She nodded her head, her other hand moving to grasp something that rested just beside her head. She slowly dragged her arm across her frame, her hand quivering as she held an envelope out to him, "Please…send this…as soon as…as soon as possible."

The prince's brows furrowed when he saw that it was addressed to Natsu, "Do you want to let him know about the baby?"

She swallowed and slowly shook her head, "I just…want to see him."

Loke gave her a reassuring smile as he took the letter into his grasp, "Okay. I'll take care of it. So rest up."

* * *

Loke clenched his jaw as he handed Lucy's letter to a servant. He didn't think Natsu deserved to see Lucy after all that he'd done to her. But he cared for the blonde more than enough to put his own feelings aside and help her see the man she loved for what might be the last time, "Send this to the King. Tell him to read it as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness," the messenger bowed to him before starting on his way.

A thought suddenly occurred to the prince, and he called out to the servant, "Wait!" He took the letter back into his hands, "I don't want people to be suspicious of him for receiving letters from a girl that he isn't married to."

He placed the envelope inside another, scrawling his name across its front in hopes that Natsu would realize that if he was sending him letters, their message was important.

* * *

 _Two months later…_

Natsu scoffed as he looked over the envelope a servant had just given him, rolling his eyes as he skimmed over Loke's name, "I can't believe he isn't getting tired of sending these." He gave it one last glance before he threw it aside, the letter landing atop the stack of the other unopened envelopes the orange haired prince had sent.

Gildarts quirked a brow, "You're not going to read it?"

The King's lips pressed into a thin line, "I'm sure it's full of resentment for me. That's the only thing Loke's ever been so persistent about."

"He said he had an important message for you, Your Majesty," the servant who had delivered the letter respectfully informed. "He even sent someone to make sure that you read it."

"Do I look like I have the time to meet with someone like that?" the salmon haired man spitefully spat.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," the servant backed away with a respectful bow, leaving the throne room without another word.

Natsu turned back to the scroll he'd been reading, forcing the thought of the unopened letter from his mind.

He and Loke had never really gotten along, and his bitterness towards his orange haired brother had only grown over the years. The fact that he'd married Lucy, even if the King had consented to it, was like the final nail in the coffin. He had absolutely no desire to hear anything about the prince whatsoever, no matter how 'important' his message was. In his mind, he'd already given the orange haired prince everything he possibly could.

Loke already had Lucy, so what more could he possibly want from him?

* * *

Loke clenched his jaw as he sat beside Lucy on the bed, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his anger towards Natsu so that his conversation with the blonde would be at ease.

She'd done well at hiding her illness from him before, but now it was painfully visible, her appearance drastically altered as the imminent failure of her heart drew ever closer. She was far paler than he'd ever seen her before, her normally rosy and healthy complexion lost to memory. And her eyes never fully opened, constantly dropping shut and unceasingly surrounded by irritated, red circles. Her hair seemed to have lost its shine as well, thinning out and barely managing to stay in its bun at the base of her neck.

Her head wearily fell onto his shoulder as he settled next to her, her voice hoarse and weak as she quietly asked, "Is he not here yet?"

Loke couldn't bring himself to say no, but he also couldn't get himself to give her any reassurances that Natsu would come eventually. Because to him, it seemed like his brother was never going to show, and he didn't want to give the blonde any false hope.

It seemed that his silence was answer enough though, and he heard Lucy inhale a raspy breath before she choked out, "I've sent him so many letters. Does…does he hate me that much?" Her hand shakily came to grasp one of the prince's own, "Loke…please send someone to the palace. If you send him my message…I'm sure that he'll come."

Loke's lips pressed into a thin line. He'd already sent several servants to the palace, but still not a single reply. The prince slowly exhaled, scrounging up whatever remained of his own hope that his brother would show as he reassured, "Of course, Lucy. I'll send someone right away." He forced a pleasant grin onto his face as the blonde straightened herself out to give him a grateful smile, and he placed a hand on her shoulder to help her remain steady, "Why don't we go outside? You need to feel happy to get better. I've invited the best musicians Magnolia has to offer. Jellal trained them himself. I brought peonies, too. Don't you want to see them?"

She closed her eyes, swallowing heavily as she slowly nodded her head.

* * *

Loke let Lucy fall into his side again once they'd settled onto the edge of the house's porch, wrapping an arm around her back to help her remain sitting up.

The musicians, a female singer and a man with a saenghwang, stood in the yard just in front of them, the pink and orange peonies placed in vases atop pedestals at their sides.

The prince leaned down towards the blonde, softly asking, "Is there any song that you want to hear in particular?"

She slowly shook her head, her hands absentmindedly pressing down the poofy skirt of her hanbok in her lap.

Loke turned his focus back to the musicians, "Just play whatever song you're best at."

The woman gave him a small nod, a bright smile on her face as she started, "It's said that there's a court lady with whom the King was in love. They say this is the song she sang that made him fall in love with her."

"The King?" the prince looked to Lucy to gauge her reaction, ready to give his word and bring the musicians to a stop before they could even began.

But contrary to what he expected, the blonde had a soft smile on her face, her head falling to rest on his shoulder as she breathed out, "I would like to hear it."

Having received her consent, the man raised the saenghwang to his mouth and began to play, and the familiar tune to which the woman hummed confirmed the blonde's suspicions.

It was the very same lullaby that she'd sung for the princes on Gray's birthday seven years ago, and the sound of it brought the memory rushing to the surface of her mind.

She recalled how they'd all begged her to sing for them, and how their bickering had come to stop upon her clearing her throat. Her mind had raced to come up with a song, and she'd nervously settled upon a lullaby that her parents often sung to her when she was little.

Although the woman only hummed the tune, the lyrics of the lullaby were still fresh in the blonde's mind. It spoke of friendship persisting through even the hardest times, and it was one that she held dear to her heart.

And although Lucy's voice wasn't perfect, the princes had all smiled softly as she sang.

She could see all of their faces as they had been on that day, so clear that it was almost like they were standing right in front of her again.

Natsu had stood off to the side, leaving without a word as soon as she finished singing. Now she understood why he'd left in such a hurry.

The singer had told her that this was the song that made the King fall in love with her.

And just like the lyrics of the lullaby, the love that was born on that day had persisted. Even if her recent memories of being together with Natsu were far from pleasant, she treasured the times that they'd spent together in pure bliss. The boat rides that almost always ended with one of them soaking wet from taking an unplanned dip in the lake. Stargazing in the middle of fields populated by fireflies. The fleeting kisses and the passionate ones.

"Long ago…" Lucy started softly, quiet enough to not disrupt the musicians but loud enough for the prince to hear, "…you promised that you would treat my life as if it were your own. Do you remember that?"

"Of course," Loke quietly replied, not liking the tone of voice that the blonde was using. She spoke like these words would be her last.

She lifted her head from his shoulder, shakily breathing out, "My daughter…in my place…I need you to protect her. You cannot let her go to the palace."

Loke swallowed, trying to ease the tightness in his throat that gathered upon hearing her words. He did his best to smile at her, "Why would you say such things?"

Lucy's gaze fell back to her lap, her voice laced with sorrow, "He won't be coming. I know that." She let out a heavy breath, wearily falling back into the prince's side, her eyes tiredly sliding shut.

Loke wrapped his arm tighter around her, pulling her further into him, his voice slightly choked as he started, "Lucy…In your next life…you'll remember me, won't you?"

She slowly shook her head against his chest, softly breathing out, "I'm going to forget you…I'll forget everything…All that happened…All of the princes…Even…Even him…"

Her body went limp, all of her weight falling fully into the prince's side.

Loke wrapped his other arm around her front and pulled her into his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin as silent tears began to stream down his cheeks.

Lucy was gone.

* * *

Natsu shot to his feet at the words that'd just slipped from Gildarts' mouth, his senses going numb as he shook his head in denial, "Lucy…wouldn't hate me enough to do this…"

The astronomer's lips pressed into a thin line, his own sorrow at what had happened apparent in the gentle way he spoke, "Apparently, she'd been sending you letters. Haven't you read them?"

Natsu froze in place, his wide eyes turning the discarded pile of envelopes with Loke's name scrawled across their front. He snatched the most recent and tore it open, his heart dropping when he pulled another envelope from inside, this one with the characters of Lucy's name printed upon it.

His breathing quickened as he grabbed another, tearing it open to find the same thing. He hurriedly pulled the letter out and unfolded it, tears gathering in his eyes as he immediately recognized the handwriting as Lucy's. He skimmed over the letter through his blurry vision, his heart sinking further and throat clenching more with every word he read.

 _'Life is like a dream. Right and wrong. Love and hate. They all get buried with the passing of time and leave quietly without a trace. I'm always worried that I may have left with you with hatred instead of love, preventing you from living in peace. I still love you, and you have my whole heart. When you gave up everything and stood by me in the rain…when you threw your body in the way of a flying arrow to protect me…you became someone I could never forget. Now, I've come to realize that the opposite of loving is not hating, but leaving. I'm afraid that you might think that I left you, and you left me. I yearn for you so much, but I can't be near you. I hope and wait to see you again. I'll be waiting for you…every day.'_

He accidentally crumpled the paper between his hands as he lost himself to sobbing, his tears soaking the letter as he pressed his forehead into his hands.

She was gone. She'd gotten over all that had happened, patiently hoping that he would too. She'd been waiting for him for months.

And he hadn't answered her call.

* * *

Loke numbly ran his hand over the gold embellishments on the olive green urn that sat on the table before him, having long since cried himself dry. As her husband, he'd been the one tasked with setting Lucy's coffin ablaze, and the act had taken everything he'd had left out of him.

The doors to the room he was seated in were suddenly thrown open, and Jellal came rushing in, the blue haired prince stumbling to a stop when he saw the urn on the table.

Loke briefly glanced at his brother, mindlessly grabbing an envelope from beside the urn and passing it to him.

The blue haired prince tore it open without a second of hesitation, his face slowly going slack as he read over Lucy's last words to him.

The sound of hurried footfalls began echoing through the hallways outside, growing louder until Natsu flew in to the room with a cry of Lucy's name. He ran to Jellal first, tears streaming down his face as he fisted his hands in the front of his brother's hanbok, "Where's Lucy?! Where is she?!" His hands slipped from their grasp on the fabric, his breathing labored as his eyes desperately began to wander about the room, "Stop playing around and come out…Lucy…Lucy, where are you?!"

Natsu's wandering came to an end when his eyes landed on the urn that rested on the table, Jellal having to grasp onto his shoulders to prevent to him falling to the floor as he stumbled when his legs seemed to momentarily give out on him.

The orange haired prince's eyes were blazing with anger, his jaw clenched as he ground out, "What have you been doing this whole time? Don't pretend to be sad now. She was waiting for you for months!"

The King's eyes slowly traveled up to the prince's face from where his hand rested on the urn, and he lunged for his brother with a wordless shout. He fisted his hand in Loke's collar, roughly pulling him to his feet and shouting in his face, "It's all your fault! _Your_ name was on the envelopes!" His voice lost its power, but his grip on his brother remained strong as his vision went blurry and he weakly choked out, "I didn't know…I didn't know that Lucy's letters were inside…"

"I…I did that for _your_ sake," Loke weakly defended, his anger at the King fading a fraction as he watched Natsu continue to fall to pieces. "I didn't want anyone thinking that you were exchanging letters with a woman you weren't married to." His voice picked up in intensity once more, more of his anger becoming apparent, "Still, you must have known that Lucy was dying! I know you had someone watching us!"

Jellal decided to intervene, his jaw clenched as he came to Natsu's defense, "You were sharing a room with Lucy and living your lives happily. He stopped getting reports on the two of you months ago!"

The orange haired prince's will to fight with his brother disappeared at the statement, and he remained frozen in place as Natsu's hands slipped from his collar.

The King turned to the urn, letting out uneven, choked breaths as he placed his hands on its sides, his forehead falling to rest on its lid. He let out small, sorrowful wails as his sobbing returned full force, and Jellal turned away from the sight as tears of his own began to fall.

Natsu shakily wrapped his arms around the urn and pulled it into his chest, "Lucy…let's go."

Loke rushed to stop him as he began to stumble towards the doors, desperately grasping onto his shoulders, "No. You can't! She's _my_ wife!"

"Move," the salmon haired man ground out, his voice quivering with his sorrow. "Lucy may be dead…but she's still...she's still my person."

When the orange haired prince moved to lung at the King, Jellal grasped onto his arm and pulled him aside, intent on shaking some sense into him, "Loke! You should know better than anyone!" His voice grew softer, cracking several times as he quietly breathed out, "You know…You know who Lucy would want to be with."

Natsu stumbled from the room with the urn, his wailing sobs echoing through the hallway as he made his way back to his horse.

Loke's whole frame was tense as he went, his jaw clenched and his eyes zeroed in on the place where the urn had previously rested.

"If you truly consider Lucy a friend," Jellal reprimanded, tears still silently steaming from his eyes, "don't fight with Natsu any longer. She spent her whole life caught between all of us." He sucked in a shaky breath, "Knowing all that, are you planning on making her even sorrowful by continuing to fight?"

Loke silently reached into the waistband of white hanbok, his hands quivering as he withdrew a hairpin and his tears resumed full force. It was the same hairpin the blonde had used to risk her life in order to save his. He'd kept it all these years, using it as a reminder of all that she'd done for him.

Jellal looked between the hairpin and his brother's face, realization beginning to dawn on him, "You…did you really…love her?"

"Lucy…" the orange haired prince shakily breathed out, his fingertips running over the hair in his grasp.

"You idiot," Jellal heartlessly reprimanded, grasping onto his brother's shoulder and pulling him into a tight hug as the youngest prince fell to pieces once more.

* * *

Natsu held the urn in his arms as he numbly gazed down at the prayer tower before him. It would forever remain the same height, its maker unable to give another prayer and add another stone.

He thought over the moments they'd spent together at the lake that rested just behind him, numbly wondering about when the love and affection had started to fade from the time they spent together. He knew it was because of the throne, or rather his obsession over protecting it.

He found it ironic that their last happy moment together had been spent upon the golden seat, the blonde resting her head on his shoulder and giving him her reassurances on the night of his enthronement.

 _"I'll never leave your side. No matter what happens."_

* * *

 _Five years later…_

Gajeel barely managed to catch himself as he was thrown to the floor. He shot back to his feet in an instant, whipping towards the guards that had so carelessly tossed him inside, "I'm someone who could have been king! You dare treat me in such a way?!"

He scoffed as a servant came to quietly place a tray that held a bowl of soup on the floor in front of him, his fists clenching as he realized its purpose. It was laced with poison no doubt, "Are you telling me to kill myself?"

He glared at Jellal when he entered the room, scoffing as the blue haired prince bowed his head to him, "What? Did the King send you to confirm whether I die or not?"

Jellal didn't even look at his brother as he spoke, his voice void of any emotion, "I'm here to deliver something to you. Lucy requested it."

He held out a folded, red splotched cloth, and the Ninth Prince slowly took it into his grasp, "Lucy died a long time ago."

"She asked in her will that I deliver Levy's last letter to you," Jellal firmly stated.

Gajeel's stony expression slowly faded at the mention of the blue haired court lady.

"You're guilty of treason. I can't do anything more for you," the blue haired prince solemnly remarked. "I'm sorry, Gajeel. But this is the last time we'll be seeing one another." He gave his brother a final bow before quietly exiting the room, leaving the Ninth Prince locked inside all alone.

Without thinking much about it, Gajeel slowly unfolded the cloth, an unpleasant chill spreading throughout his body with every word he read.

 _'I know that the end is coming soon. I'm just a person who couldn't stop loving once I started. I'm a foolish person like that. Gajeel took me in off the streets after my mother died, and I worked diligently every day to repay him for saving my life. Somewhere along the way, my devotion for him grew beyond that of a servant to its master. I love him.'_

Gajeel fell to his knees upon reading that phrase.

He supposed he'd always known. The way she'd constantly ask to return to his estate. The way her face would light up upon receiving his praise when he'd taught her to read and write. The way she'd tense whenever they accidentally brushed against one another in passing…It was all because she loved him.

At the bottom of the letter, she'd said that she didn't regret loving him, nor did she resent him for what he'd done. But he knew that he deserved it if she did. He deserved all of her hate and more. He'd been the one to drag her into this mess, and she'd died because of it.

"Stupid shrimp…" he choked out. "Why don't you hate me?"

His eyes wandered towards the tray that had been set before him, reaching out for it and pulling it towards himself without a second more of hesitation. He knew that he deserved this end after all that he'd done, so he didn't waste time in prolonging the process. He threw the spoon aside, taking the poisoned soup into his hands and drinking it straight from the bowl.

* * *

Jellal strung his bipa over his back, tightening the strap around his chest as he entered his brother's estate. He let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the garden that rested just inside the gates, memories of both good and bad times resurfacing in his mind.

Sting was waiting for him on the porch of his home, and the two fell into step with one another without a word. They silently strolled through the estate, the blond prince fighting to muffle his coughing all the while.

He suddenly let out a heavy sigh, quietly remarking, "The King has spent his time reading 'The Essentials of Government in the Pergrande Reign.' He's freeing the slaves and returning them to their former status, and he's taking power away from the noble families."

Jellal let out a small chuckle, "You still have great interest in the palace, just as you always have."

"I'm only observing. I'm waiting to see what kind of king Natsu will become. I wonder…perhaps Ishgar now has the most powerful King in its history."

The blue haired prince let out a heavy sigh, "And he's had to make many sacrifices to attain that status."

Sting nodded his head in agreement, another coughing attack taking hold and rattling his frame as he fought to muffle it. Jellal moved to help him, but he held up a hand, finally getting his coughing back under control. He slowly sucked in a raspy breath, his voice slightly hoarse as he quietly continued, "Lately…there are faces I can't stop thinking about."

"Do…do you still miss Lucy?" Jellal tentatively asked.

The blond prince let out a small chuckle, "I was always giving my heart, and I was always making mistakes. I only realized that when it was too late. It's not Lucy's face that won't leave my head…but _hers._ "

Jellal fell out of step with his brother, knowing that he was talking about Yukino without having even mentioned her name.

Sting continued forward, another brutal coughing attack beginning as he disappeared from the blue haired prince's sight.

* * *

Minerva clenched her jaw as she glared at the King, her eyes blazing with fury, "It's his birthday. How can you not go to him even once?"

Natsu didn't even look up at her, sounding disinterested as he remarked, "Isn't it more than enough that you're there with him?"

"He fears his own father," the Queen ground out. "You treat him like he's your competition! He's your own son! Why can't you trust him?!"

He set down the scroll with an irritated sigh, "Look, Minerva. I know very well about people who hide their true selves behind masks. Both you and that child…I know very well that you'll come after me someday, whether I'm a good father to him or not."

The Queen let out a scoff, "So…you still haven't moved on? You can't bring yourself to treat your family like they actually matter? You still only remember _her_?"

Natsu's expression went slack, his hands clenching around the scroll on his desk.

"Lucy was the only one who was insane enough to speak of all people being equal. You're emancipating the slaves from Bosco and you're taking power away from the nobles…all because you can't forget about her. Did you think that I wouldn't notice?"

"So what if I am doing it all because of her?" the King spat back. "Will you knowing about it change anything?"

As he turned back to his readings again, Minerva let out another scoff, "Now that I've thought about it, I think I understood why Lucy left."

* * *

Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he stared at the prayer tower in front of him, his thoughts on the blonde that had created it. It'd been five years since she'd passed, and he'd done everything he could over those years to make up for all of the misery that he'd put her through in her last days. He'd ignored her wellbeing for the sake of keeping her by his side, and yet she still loved him even after all that he'd done. His pride had prevented him from making it up to her whilst she'd still been alive, so he'd settled on using his power to finally rebuild the nation with the blonde's ideals.

Minerva was right to think that he'd emancipated the slaves and taken power from the nobles because of Lucy. It was the endless struggle for power that'd brought about all of their misfortune, and he would see to it that something was done to end the conflict so that no one else had to suffer like he and his brothers had.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when something bumped against the back of his leg, and he turned to find a blonde little girl staring up at him with wide eyes, letting out small, overdramatic whimpers as she clutched at her forehead.

The King let out a small chuckle at her antics, simply remarking, "You bumped into me." He crouched down in front of her, gently removing her hand and running his fingertips over her forehead, noting with amusement that she was perfectly fine, "What's your name?"

The sound of hurried footfalls rang out through the air before she could answer, and the little girl was soon rushing to meet the man who was approaching with a cry of, "Daddy!"

Natsu's pleasant grin faded when he turned to see the little girl throw herself into Loke's arms.

"I told you not to run off like that," the orange haired prince scolded. He swallowed heavily as he looked back to the King, his uneasiness about the situation apparent in the way that he pushed the small girl behind him, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Natsu rose from his crouch, glancing at the girl one more time before focusing on his brother's face, "You're not supposed to leave Onibus, but yet you've come all the way to the palace?"

"It's…it's the anniversary of Lucy's death," he solemnly explained with an apologetic bow, "so please forgive me. I must've lost my mind for a moment. This won't happen again."

"Is she your child?"

Loke pushed the blonde further behind him, reluctantly admitting, "Y-yes."

Natsu's lips pressed into a thin line, "Your family asked permission for you to marry and I recall consenting to it. However…that was only three years ago, and your child is very grown. How old is she?"

The prince huffed out a breath, "I'm sure you're very busy managing the country. Why bother with my child?" He turned to the small girl, taking her into his arms and attempting to leave before Natsu could question him any further.

And the King almost let him go, having no desire to fight with his brother any longer.

But then he caught sight of the familiar white hibiscus hairpin that held the girl's bun in place, his senses starting to go numb and his voice firm as he commanded, "Stop."

Loke turned to face him, and the slight traces of terror in the orange haired prince's features were enough to confirm Natsu's suspicions.

This girl was Lucy's daughter.

Before he could fully process the information, reckless words were slipping from his mouth, "Leave the child."

Loke set the girl back on the ground, keeping a tight grasp on her hand as he kneeled before the King, firmly proclaiming, "I can't do that unless you kill me, Your Majesty. For this child…Lucy…she asked that she not live in the palace. Life here is so scary and lonely. She said that she didn't want her to live like that…That's all Lucy worried about until the moment she died."

That phrase finally brought Natsu back to his senses. Having Loke leave the girl behind was like condemning her to the same fate as Lucy, and he couldn't do that. He knew better than anyone that life in the palace was lonely.

He looked to the girl as she peaked out from behind his brother, his heart softening as he recognized traces of Lucy in her features.

If he was truly going to live as Lucy would have wanted him to, then he knew that there was more left to be done.

He turned his focus back to his brother, his voice soft, "Loke…I release you from your exile to your hometown."

The orange haired prince's eyes widened, disbelief in his gaze as he looked up at the King.

Natsu gave him a soft smile, "I'd like it...if you came to the palace every now and then."

"T-thank you…Natsu."

The King's smile widened upon hearing his brother say his name. It'd been years since the orange haired prince had referred to him using anything other than the regular formalities, and his heart felt a little more at ease knowing that after all of these years, both he and Loke might finally be ready to start acting like brothers again.

He gave the girl one last quick smile before starting down the path to the palace, his hands clasped behind his back and peace in his heart.

Still kneeling, Loke pulled the girl into his chest in relief that he'd been able to stop Natsu from taking her into the palace.

She wrapped her arms around his neck in response, but her gaze remained fixated on the back of the salmon haired man as he walked away, her undying curiosity peaked and a strange sense of familiarity creeping up on her.

* * *

Natsu's lips pressed into a thin line as Gildarts bowed to him, having known that this moment was coming for quite some time, "Do you really want to leave that badly?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the astronomer admitted, slight traces of reluctance in his voice.

"You promised me otherwise all those years ago. You said you weren't anyone's person, but the King's person."

"I did say that, didn't I?" Gildarts huffed out. "Although, I think my devotion towards this palace has long since run out. I've lived long enough to watch three kings rise to power and fall. I think I can leave in peace knowing that the fourth won't face the same fate as his brothers." He let out a heavy sigh as he changed topics, "In regards to Lady Lucy, I don't think that she was from this world. When you think back on things, there are many instances in which you realize it. My last advice to you, Your Majesty, is that you should move on from her. Don't forget, but accept all that happened and move on. If you long for a person you can't reach, you'll end up crazy like me."

Natsu averted his gaze when the astronomer bowed to him. He'd long since grown tired of watching his comrades lower themselves before him, and Gildarts was no exception.

The King supposed he could simply order the man to stay, but he'd learned that seeking control over others in such a way was far from the best thing to do.

"May you live long and be healthy, Your Majesty."

Natsu didn't watch the astronomer leave, not having the heart to watch the very last of his comrades go.

* * *

Natsu stood alone in the palace's courtyard, solemnly gazing at the grand structure that rested in the center of the great empire that he, his father, and his brothers had sacrificed so much to build.

It all seemed rather stupid to him now that he was King. It was only a title, one that came along with a shiny golden throne…and that was it. There was no tangible sense of power or a promise of success.

But still, they'd all risked so much to gain and protect it.

The sound of footfalls on stone steadily grew closer, and he cast Jellal a quick glance as his brother came to stand at his side.

The blue haired prince's eyes were downcast, slowly sucking in a breath before he solemnly informed, "Sting…has passed. He was unable to overcome his illness."

Natsu's eyes slowly slid shut at the news. He wasn't going to cry, but the fact that another of his brothers had passed was more than enough to tear at his heart.

Of eight princes…only he, Jellal, and Loke remained. That fact alone was a testament of how much the royal family had sacrificed to build the nation.

"I'll…I'll be going back to my estate to grieve. Please be well, Natsu," Jellal gave him a final bow before he started towards the palace gates, leaving the King all alone once again.

* * *

 _Thirty-one years later. Year 975._

Natsu drug in a rugged breath, exhaustedly fighting to keep his eyes open as he listened to Loke tearfully give his last farewells.

Forty years ago, he would've never imagined that it would be his youngest brother who would be at his bedside during his last moments. But their relationship had changed after their meeting at the lake that day, and it was something that the King was eternally grateful for. It'd brought both him and his two remaining brothers peace in the latter years of their lives, and Natsu knew that it'd been cause for much relief in Jellal's life before the blue haired prince's own passing five years ago.

And Natsu was ready to join Jellal and the rest of his family in whatever afterlife he would be sent to. He was sixty-five, and the first King in nearly thirty years that had actually lived out his entire life. He'd spent his reign making up for the transgressions of his younger self, and knowing that he'd done all he could, he was content with moving on.

Minerva wasn't even at his bedside, too preoccupied with preparing their son to take his place on the throne to stop by and give her last farewell to her dying husband. And he could say that he preferred things that way. He knew that she was close to dying herself, and she'd only grown more bitter and deceitful in her old age. To have her at his bedside in his last moments would've prevented him from having a peaceful passing, he was sure.

He gave up on trying to keep his eyes open, finally caving in and letting them fall shut. He was vaguely aware of several sorrowful cries from his brother and servants, but they soon faded into silence.

His only _true_ Queen had died nearly forty years ago, and knowing that she was waiting for him in the afterlife, he let go, peacefully growing less aware of everything fading into nothingness.

' _If we are not from the same world…I will find you…My Lucy…'_

* * *

 _"'Life is short and fleeting'…those were Ingeel's last words," Natsu solemnly remarked to the blonde girl at his side. "That it is all short and in vain."_

 _There was silence between the two for a few moments, the only sound being the crunching of the dirt beneath their feet as they strode along the path that ran along the edge of the lake._

 _The corners of Natsu's lips quirked, and he broke the silence, "But I think that he was wrong." He bumped his shoulder against the blonde's, "You and I are together like this, so how could it be in vain?"_

 _Lucy suddenly slowed to a stop, turning to face the lake and beginning to watch the cherry blossoms lazily float in circles on its surface with her lips pressed into a thin line._

 _Natsu came to stand beside her, concern in his eyes as he gazed at her, "I feel anxious whenever you have that look on your face. I feel like you're going to leave me and go far away. What are you afraid of? What are you hiding?"_

 _She huffed out a heavy breath, "It's just…I feel anxious every day while I live here. Every step that I take, I feel I must be cautious…like I am walking on thin ice. Sometimes, I feel like I can't even breathe freely."_

 _"Even though you have me?" the King hopefully asked. "You still feel that way?"_

 _The blonde turned to softly smile up at him, "If we had met in another world or another time…I was thinking about how great that would've been. If only that could happen…I wouldn't fear anything. Then, I could love you all I wanted."_

* * *

 _Year 2018_

Lucy startled awake with a gasp, her heart pounding and her limbs tingling. Her breaths calmed as she woke up fully, her reoccurring dream of the salmon haired man still fresh in her mind.

She sniffled as she sat up, scoffing at herself as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks, "God…who is he that I'm like this?"

* * *

Lucy huffed out a breath as she restocked the makeup on the shelves of her small stand, her limbs already feeling weary even though she'd only been working for a couple hours.

Her ever-vibrant coworker, Mira, seemed to pick up on her exhaustion, "You alright, Lucy?"

"I didn't get much sleep last night. It's because I've been having the same dream for a year," she started to explain. She ran the tip of her index finger from the bottom of her left eye over her cheekbone, "He's a man with a long scar on his face like this, and he hides it with a mask. He wears olden day clothes, too."

Mira gave her an understanding smile, "It's because you came back from death. You nearly drowned and then were in a coma for a year. It's understandable that strange things like reoccurring dreams would happen, don't you think?"

"But it's been a year since I woke up. I should be back to normal by now…" The blonde let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know why…but every time I dream about him, I end up crying."

* * *

Lucy looked up from the counter she was working when a man entered the store, coming to a stop just beside her and giving her a pleasant grin. She briefly noted that he was the same man who'd been giving tours of the Ishgar exhibit that rested on the other side of the store she worked at in the mall, something 'Clive' if she remembered correctly from overhearing him introduce himself. She gave him her best smile as she enthusiastically bowed to him in greeting, "Hello!"

He said nothing in return, only continuing to give her his pleasant grin.

The blonde let out a small, nervous laugh in the silence, unsettled by the way he smiled at her like he knew something she didn't.

His eyes quickly scanned over her nametag, "So, your last name is Heartfilia?"

"What?" She was a bit taken off guard by the sudden question, but recovered in the matter of only a few seconds, "Oh…yes. I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

"Did you know that the Heartfilia family was one of the most powerful families at the beginning of the Ishgar Dynasty?" he quirked his eyebrows at the end of the statement, almost as if he was trying to get her to realize something.

"Oh, really?" Lucy turned to some of the products that rested on a shelf at her side, "We happen to be selling some makeup inspired by that of the Ishgar Dynasty. What a funny coincidence."

He gave her a smug grin, "There's no such thing as a coincidence, Ms. Heartfilia. Things only return to their original place."

"W-what?"

He paid no mind to her lack of understanding, instead taking a deep sniff and pleasantly remarking, "It smells a lot like roses in here."

Lucy finally recovered from her confusion, jumping on the chance to finally be able to talk about something she understood, "Ah, that's because a lot of our products have rose oil in them. This serum in particular has a lot. It's made in houttuynia cordata extract with rose oil from Pergrande-"

 _"You didn't put in the rose oil from Pergrande that I gave you, right?"_

The blonde's voice faded out as those words suddenly echoed in her mind, accompanied by a flash of a man with blue hair and a red tattoo.

At her sudden silence, the man's grin faded, giving way to concern, "Are…are you alright?"

"Oh…it's…it's nothing," Lucy shook her head to clear her thoughts, resuming her spiel about the product, though with much less enthusiasm, "It's good for your skin if you use it regularly. And did you know that they had something similar to foundation during the Ishgar Dynasty? It was more like a paste-"

 _"You better prepare yourself. Now…I'm never going to let you go."_

Lucy froze up again when another vision appeared in her head, this time one of the same salmon haired man from her dreams as a hand applied a tan paste over his scar with a thin brush.

The serum slipped from her hands and shattered against the floor as she stumbled back a few steps, and the man she had been talking to took an eager step forward to assist her, "Are you okay? I think you need to sit down."

The blonde scoffed at herself, pressing her palm to her head as she felt a fever started to take hold, "God…what's wrong with me?"

Mira seemingly appeared out of nowhere and came to her side in an instant, taking her hand and leading her away, "Just go home, Lucy. I'll take care of things here, so rest up."

The blonde numbly let her coworker lead her to the bathroom so she could change out of her uniform, too out of it to protest and her hand pressed against her forehead all the while as a pounding migraine began.

Why did she feel so horrible every time she thought about that man?

* * *

Lucy rubbed the back of her neck as she exited the bathroom, starting to feel better now that she'd let her hair loose and changed into a simple loose sundress.

She slowed to a stop when her gaze happened to land on a painting that hung on a nearby wall, one that belong to an exhibit entitled, _'Ishgar Era Paitings.'_ Without thinking much on it, she wandered closer. In the painting, a familiar salmon haired man stood atop a podium, his hand outstretched to catch the rain that fell from the sky.

A violent chill ricocheted through her body, intensifying with every moment more that she spent staring at it.

It was the same man from her dreams. And why did it feel like…she'd been there?

She clutched at her head as her mind was assaulted by images, the feelings associated with each of them attacking her senses.

Overwhelming joy as she helped the salmon haired man cover the scar that he used to keep hidden under a mask. Uncontainable pride as she watched him confidently stride into the courtyard to perform the rain ritual only a few moments later. Deadening dread as she realized what kind of person he was going to become, that he was Gwangjong, the king who murdered all of his brothers.

Tears began to gather in her eyes without her volition as a as tirade of emotions poured over her, and she realized that those feelings were far too _real_ for those images to be just images…and that they were _memories._

' _It…wasn't a dream.'_

She stumbled back a few steps, clutching at her head as a hoard of memories all centered on the salmon haired man suddenly resurfaced. Their first kiss, and every kiss after that. The moment that he'd poisoned himself to save her and when he'd risked being executed to stand beside her in the rain. The day that he'd thrown himself in front of an arrow to protect to her. The night that they'd given themselves fully to one another.

" _The moment you touched my face…I decided I would never let you go. You are…my person."_

How could she have forgotten all of that? How could she have forgotten all of the princes? _How could she have forgotten Natsu?_

She turned over her shoulder, her teary eyes landing on a large painting of him as he had looked when he was first enthroned. His wild salmon hair was haphazardly gathered in a tight knot at the crown of his head and secured by a golden pin, Igneel's royal family crest emblazoned on the front of his black silk hanbok.

History didn't remember him as 'Natsu' if the placard of information next to the painting was any indication, only by the name 'Gwangjong' that he had taken upon himself after becoming King.

The blonde numbly read over the information, her eyes picking out phrases to try and piece together what kind of man he'd become.

'… _Gwangjong was a good and wise King…'_

 _'…emancipation of the slaves taken during war…'_

 _'…purge of corruption and those guilty of treason…'_

 _'…equal distribution of power amongst the people…'_

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that there wasn't a word about him murdering his brothers.

She'd done it. She'd changed his fate.

But she had only a brief moment to celebrate her success, another painting drawing her gaze.

It was of Natsu once again, facing the palace and standing all alone in the middle of the great empire which he ruled.

"I'm sorry," she softly choked out as the tears finally slipped from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Natsu…for leaving you all alone." She pressed her hand to her mouth as she began full on sobbing, barely managing to catch herself when she fell to her knees as her legs gave out under the weight of the realization of what she'd done.

She'd been the one to realize that the opposite of loving wasn't hating, but leaving.

And she'd done just that.

* * *

When Natsu opened his eyes again, his eyelids were just as heavy as the last time he was conscious. But he struggled to lift them anyways, because it felt like he'd been run over by a horse and something… _something felt absolutely wrong…_ and he needed to figure out where he was as soon as possible.

He thought that the afterlife was supposed to be a paradise, and he certainly didn't expect to be greeted by the taste of blood upon arriving there. Then again, maybe the afterlife he'd envisioned was quite different from the reality, and maybe he'd been sent to a place of suffering to pay for all of his transgressions.

He painfully lifted his head and tried to take a look around, but everything he saw made absolutely no sense to him. There was metal and other rough materials he didn't recognize twisted all around him, sharp edges jutting out in every direction. But somehow, he was still fastened to a cushioned seat, a soft comfort in the middle of all those jagged pieces.

He nearly choked on his own blood when he saw who was unconscious in the seat next to him, his eyes wide as he weakly spluttered out, "G-Gray?"

* * *

Lucy clutched at her head as two ambulances whirled past, her migraine from earlier still persisting at full force. Now that she'd recovered her memories of the past, she could ensure that all of the noise was one thing about the future that she'd never missed.

She rolled her eyes as Mira began mumbling all of her worries once again despite the blonde's reassurances that she was fine and only needed time. But the white haired woman had insisted on taking the blonde to the hospital after finding her passed out in the middle of the Ishgar exhibit, and had even called her boyfriend to come pick them up.

And Lucy had only grown fainter when he'd arrived, her heart skipping a beat when it was _Laxus_ that came to find them in the midst of the busy mall. But the longer she watched him talk with Mira, the more she realized that he wasn't the Laxus she'd known, even if he shared a name and a face with the man from over a thousand years ago. He still seemed to be a bit of an asshole, but if Mira was steadily dating him, at least that meant he was a _lovable_ asshole.

She pushed her head harder against the window of his car, praying that the cold glass would cool her down enough so that the doctors would see that there was nothing wrong. She hoped that they wouldn't fuss over something as simple as a fever, but she was a former coma patient, so she could never be sure how wary they might be when handling someone with her history. She'd been to the hospital far too often for her liking after she'd woken up, and she certainly wasn't eager to go back.

* * *

When Natsu awoke once more, he noted right away that everything hurt a lot a less. But he was unsettled nevertheless, because instead of pain, there was a strange absence of feeling in the majority of his body.

He peeled his eyes open, immediately snapping them shut when a brighter white than he'd ever seen assaulted his vision. Maybe now he was finally in the afterlife? A white so pure and vibrant could only exist in such a place.

He tried to open them again with a groan, wisely going much slower this time around. Nearly everything in the room was a pristine white, and the smell was absolutely horrid, assaulting his nose with an unfamiliar sting of something unnatural.

"Natsu! You're awake!"

He flinched at the sudden shout of his name, his wide eyes immediately trying to find the source.

A girl, no older than seventeen, was excitedly smiling down at him from his bedside, having jumped to her feet upon exclaiming his name. Her hair fell to her waist, seeming to alternate between a deep purple and blue as it shifted in the light. He'd only seen hair that color once, before his mother had gone gray with age.

On instinct, he tried to sit up, his stomach giving a terrible lurch the second his abdomen tensed. He relaxed back onto the bed without having moved more than an inch, letting out a hiss through clenched teeth at the painful sting that radiated throughout his entire body. His eyes drifted back towards the girl, his hoarse voice catching in his throat several times as he drowsily mumbled, "What…what h-happened to me?"

Her bright smile slowly faded as she quietly, solemnly explained, "You were in a car accident this morning."

Car? What on Earthland was a car?

"Gray was driving, but it was your side that got hit. The doctors…they said your heart stopped for a few seconds…" she gave him a soft smile, "but you're persistent like you've always been. They said it was more from shock rather than injury though. You hit your head pretty hard, too, and two of your ribs are broken. But other than that and a lot of bruises and cuts, you're probably just really sore. Given how the car looked, the doctors were surprised that you didn't have more injuries. It's a miracle really. We'll probably be able to take you home soon."

Natsu only stared at her in silence as she rambled on about his injuries and taking care of him with a bright smile on her face, his mind slow to process the mass of information she was spouting at him.

The main word that had him stuck was 'home.' Did she mean the palace? He definitely didn't consider that place home, even if he'd lived in it for the majority of his life. A home was a place of peace and love where one lived in happiness with their family, and the palace certainly didn't have any of that.

And what did she mean why ' _we'll_ go home?' Why did this girl talk like she knew him?

The one thing he knew was that this place, wherever it was, wasn't the afterlife. He'd been dying, hadn't he? Not from any wounds, but from old age.

So if he wasn't dead, where was he?

"Where…w-where am I? And…who are you?"

He wished he could take his words back right away at the heartbreak that appeared in her eyes, her enthusiasm immediately deflating, "What…you…you don't know who I am?"

He was too afraid to say anything more, worried that if he told her he didn't know her he would only make her more upset.

But his silence was answer enough.

Her forehead crinkled as her eyes filled with disbelief, hope in her voice as she quietly introduced, "I'm your sister…Wendy."

Sister? He'd never had a sister named Wendy, much less a sister that actually seemed to care for him.

"And we're in the hospital right now," she softly continued. "Remember how I said you were in a car accident?"

It'd only been moments ago, so of course he remembered. But he still had absolutely no idea what a car was. His brain rushed over the rest of what she'd said to him, trying to piece together information so he could figure out what the hell was happening.

Gray. She'd also mentioned Gray.

"You…you said Gray was there…How? How could he be? Gray's dead."

The girl's brows furrowed and she slowly shook her head, "No…Gray's fine. He has a few bruises and scrapes too, and he said he was really sore but…He's still alive."

Natsu thought his heart might stop beating again at her words.

If Gray was still alive, could he somehow have been transported back in time? He'd never really believed that such things were possible, but then again, no one really knew what happened after death. That would explain the overwhelming sense of _wrong_ that he'd felt since he'd first woken up covered in blood. His body had felt foreign and strange, and it still did, beyond that of what it felt like to have wounds.

"Wendy…" he tentatively started, fearful of the answer he would receive, "…what…what year is it?"

Her sorrow visibly deepened, her worry reaching its peak, "It's…it's twenty eighteen, Natsu."

* * *

Natsu gripped his hand tighter on the pole that he had to roll around with him, his initial annoyance at its presence turning into gratitude because it gave him something to anxiously squeeze as he walked around a completely unfamiliar world. The girl, supposedly his sister, had called it an IV.

She'd momentarily left him on his own, excusing herself to make a call to someone with a name he couldn't recognize nor remember. She'd told him to stay in the same spot and wait for her, but he knew there was little chance of that happening.

After finding out where, or rather _when,_ he was, he'd understandably been overwhelmed with disbelief and denial. Time travel wasn't possible. It only existed in the stories that Gildarts had told him when he was little.

But he couldn't refute any of the information that Wendy had told him because truly, he felt incredibly different. The atmosphere of this place, of this time, felt incredibly different. The smells in the air. The sounds that echoed into the room from the hallway. The perfection of the patterns on Wendy's clothes and of the architecture of every structure he laid his eyes on.

It was all too _different_ to have existed in his time.

He'd insisted on getting up and looking around, intent on finding something, _anything_ that would tell him that this was all a dream. Wendy had eagerly lent him her help upon realizing that there was no way she was going to get him to lay back down, calling in a nurse to make sure it was okay.

He'd nearly passed out after seeing his own reflection in the mirror on the wall upon standing up. He looked as he had when he'd first started to live in the palace again at the age of twenty three, not the wrinkled old thing he'd been at the end of his life, or at least what he thought would be the end of his life. His hair was a lot shorter than it had been then though, seemingly defying gravity and sticking up in all directions. But the biggest shock of all was that there was no scar over his left eye, only smooth tan skin.

The more he wandered through the halls of the building, the more he realized that Wendy had been telling the truth. Suddenly being thrown one thousand years forward in time whilst simultaneously being thrown back over forty years in age was more than enough to unsettle him, and his new environment did little to comfort him. He'd concluded that the hospital had been drastically misnamed, because he didn't think it was very hospitable in the least. For a place meant to maintain life, he found that it was very much lacking it. Everything was so clean and plain and the atmosphere was so tense…he actually found himself missing the palace, with its vibrant colors and intricately carved wooden pillars.

The clothes that he'd woken up in were no comfort either. He now knew them to be a hospital gown and pants, and they were unlike anything he'd ever seen. He felt almost naked with only one layer between his skin and the outside world. He was used to the layers upon layers that came with wearing a hanbok.

He stumbled to a stop upon arriving at an intersection of hallways, his eyes catching a glimpse of familiar gold at the end of one of them.

His eyes widened, his breaths slowing the longer he stared.

It was _her._

* * *

Lucy huffed out an irritated breath as she followed Mira towards the counter after hearing the nurse finally call her name. They'd been waiting for _hours_ to see a doctor, and now that the time had come to finally see one, she felt completely fine, at least in the physical sense. She wanted to go home and bury herself in her giant blanket more than anything else, and a doctor's visit definitely wasn't what she needed at the moment. She'd recovered nearly seven years' worth of memories in the span of only a few minutes, and her brain felt fried. What she really needed was time. Time to process all that'd happened and time to figure out what to do next. All she knew was that her life was never going to be the same after all that she'd remembered, and there was no way she could go back to being 'normal.'

A sudden chill raced down her spine when she felt eyes on her, and her eyes widened as she turned over her shoulder, her purse slipping from her hand and its contents spilling across the floor.

He was standing at the end of one of the hallways that branched off from the large waiting room she was in, his hand clutched tightly around an IV and his face slack, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of disbelief and hope.

Some small part of her conscience told her that he was probably just another doppelganger or reincarnation or whatever else one might call them. She, Laxus, and Gildarts had one, so was it that unlikely that he had one too?

But the look in his eyes…it told her that it was _him_. That it was _her_ Natsu.

His name slipped from her lips, at first in a whisper and then once more in a desperate cry, and she started running towards him through the crowded hallway without a moment of hesitation, tears streaking down her cheeks.

He started towards her too, though it was more of a hurried limp, his IV toppling over and yanking from his arm. But he didn't seem to notice in his desperation to get to her, his eyes never leaving hers and her name repeatedly slipping from his mouth.

They collided halfway, Lucy wrapping her arms around his neck and Natsu wrapping his around her waist. In his desperation to pull her closer, he lifted the blonde from the floor, both of them toppling over as his weakened legs refused to support their weight.

But neither cared as they crashed to their knees, still desperately clinging onto one another and burying their faces in the other's neck, soaking their skin with tears and mumbling sweet nothings all the while.

They paid no mind to the judgmental stares they were getting or the mumbles of disapproval. All thoughts of self-doubt and loathing were gone from Lucy's mind, and all of Natsu's fears about suddenly finding himself in a different time vanished.

In this moment, they only cared for each other.

They'd spent years and years and years apart, constantly having to fight against fate to be together. They'd watched their loved ones fight against and kill each other, all affection lost in the battle for the power to protect. They'd fallen into despair and bitterness, not strong enough to stay together but still endlessly suffering while they were apart.

But all of that was behind them.

They were finally in each other's arms once more, and nothing, even fate, could tear them apart ever again.

* * *

 **AN**

 **And it's done! I did somewhat stick with the original ending of the show, but I continued on after it ends so that this fic would have a happy end :) My end was kind of based on the second season of the Chinese version of Scarlet Heart, but the way in which Natsu ended up in the future is entirely my own concept, as well as Laxus and Gray having doppelgangers/reincarnations in the future.**

 **A lot of people were asking me to change the entire ending and forgo the marriage of Natsu and Minerva and the death of Lucy, but really...if I had changed all of that and let Lucy and Natsu get married in the past and gave them their happy ending then, would this fic have been as good as it is? I think one of the things that made Scarlet Heart Ryeo so memorable for me was that it didn't have a happy end. First of all, it's pretty historically accurate (which I really appreciate), but then all of the tragedies kind of drive home the meanings that they've been focusing on throughout the entire show, like doing whatever you can to survive and the corruption that comes along with power. All of the bad stuff that happens is what makes the story beautifully sad and memorable.**

 **For those of you who haven't watched the series, I highly recommend that you watch it now! Words cannot compare to the beauty of Scarlet Heart Ryeo, and the visuals, acting, and music of the show adds a whole new level of greatness to the story. There were also a lot of components of the story that I omitted for the sake of adapting it to the characters of FT, so there will definitely be new stuff that you guys haven't seen before. Feel free to pm me about it as you watch if you choose to do so :)**

 **And as for my plans now: This was kind of my first fic, and it definitely won't be the last. I plan on sticking around for a while and I've got lots of new ideas (some of which you can read about on my bio and others I'm keeping secret), so keep an eye out for my new stories!**

 **7/22/18 Update: Scarlet Heart now has an epilogue/sequel under the title Another World, so go over and give it a read if you want to see more and read about Natsu and Lucy's adventures together in the future!**

 **For the last time, thank you so much for reading! And thank you guys so much for your support! This fic has received way more love than I originally thought it would, and I'm eternally grateful for that! So really, truly, THANK YOU!**

 **Signing off for the last time**

 **~McSquidster**


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